Valentines Week

Sunday was Steven's actual birthday so he got to start out his day with opening presents and eating Lucky Charms. He got a lot of awesome things this year. Tyler and I got him a MP3 player (with some music loaded on it), a speaker for it and a book with 5000 Awesome Facts. His Brady Grandparents gave him $10 and the Oregon Trail electronic game which he immediately got to playing- I'm pretty sure he liked it more than the MP3 Player. And his Hatch Grandparents got him a Fitness Tracker watch. It's actually a pretty cool watch and I am thinking I might want to buy one for myself.

Since he had his birthday party the day before the rest of his birthday wasn't super exciting. He went to church, played with his gifts all afternoon and then I made his favorite "white noodles" for dinner.

Monday was not a great start to the week. First I broke a hand held mirror. Then I forgot my wallet when I took Tyler to work and the gas tank was almost on empty- luckily I made it back to the gas station later without running out. There was also a laundry mishap where one of Penny's red dresses turned all the boy's white shirts pink. I also started my period that morning. I haven't had a period for 4 years thanks to my IUD so that was not fun. That afternoon I had a sub job and somehow I got lost taking Penny to my friend's house. My friend lives super close and I've been to her house many times. My brain was a mess.

The sub job itself turned out ok- no major behavior problems or mishaps but it was for kindergarten so it was definitely exhausting. By the time I got home it was decided that we were going to go out to eat for dinner- try to end the day on a more positive note. That was a good choice. We went to Steak and Shake and it was a really nice outing. Everyone wolfed down their meals and drank up their shakes. Afterwards we hit Burlington Coat Factory so Tyler could replace his white shirt I ruined. While there I decided to get myself a new winter coat. I felt so guilty because there are other things that are more needed but I haven't got a new winter coat since moving here so it is nice to finally shake things up.

Tuesday school was cancelled yet again because of icy roads. Tyler was also told he should work from home because of the roads. Around lunchtime I needed to pick up groceries and thankfully the roads were alright by then. It was pretty fun trying to crack the shell of ice that our car was enclosed in before I headed out though- it literally felt like shattering glass. For being yet another day with all the kids at home, it actually went pretty well. That afternoon we watched "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" because the kids were intrigued by the puzzle of that movie I had done. They really seemed to enjoy it and are still singing that lovely "oompa loompa" song.

Tuesday night I had Bunco and did not win any prizes BUT I did laugh until I cried over some funny labeling of my flamboyant rolls. I mean if I am not going to win I might as well roll my dice with style right!? A less silly and more neat thing that happened is that someone was looking for a sub super last minute and I immediately thought of my friend Caroline. Afterwards she was so grateful and said it was exactly what she needed after a rough day- I know that was not my thought but inspiration and I am so grateful I listened.

Wednesday morning Penny finally had her new speech class- it kept getting cancelled from all these snow days. She was super nervous at first and even started crying when we got there but when I came back to get her she was super happy about it at all. She said she liked this class way better and had lots of fun. I feel like it's already helping too- I've seen a little progress with her saying the c/k sound. 

After her class I got busy preparing for her Valentine's Day Party. I had invited some friends over from church to celebrate Valentines Day. I had posted it on our FB site and thought maybe a few people would come but 13 kids RSVP'd to come. I was super anxious about having 13 kids plus their moms in our small home but it ended up not being too crazy and the kids had a lot of fun. I think the fact that 1 kid was a no show and then there were 2 moms that brought their kids as everyone else was leaving helped some- made it a little less crowded. So as annoying as it was to have these people come when I thought the party was done, it did alleviate the crazy. The kids all decorated Valentine's Bag, exchanged Valentines and decorated and ate heart cookies. I got lots of compliments on the heart cookies I had made so that was flattering- I'll definitely keep using that recipe.

Thursday was Valentine's Day. The night before I made the kids each a Valentine and though I rushed them a bit, I still feel like they turned out pretty cute. So in the morning I gave them each their Valentine and their "love" gift. The girls got fingerlings (which were on clearance but now I see why- they make some pretty annoying noises). The boys each got 3 Minecraft Minifigures.

After opening gifts I made the kids some heart pancakes which they gobbled down because this time I didn't make them pink. Last year they were so disgusted that they were pink so I knew better than to do that again.

That afternoon was Lucy's class party which I was once again in charge of. Coordinating with her teacher is so challenging that it is really making me not want to help with class parties EVER again. Plus this time she wanted to just get cash donations which meant I really had to do everything since I didn't have a sign up genius for help. I also got a super last minute email that one of my activities wasn't going to work because it involved taste testing Conversation Hearts which apparently have gluten. Because of one gluten free kid we had to do a last minute change to taste testing Skittles. Anyways in the end it all went really well and the kids had a lot of fun. And I am super relieved that it's over. The big bummer is that I didn't get any pictures this time because I was too busy running one of the stations. No proof of all my work.

Since I had made heart cookies for Penny and Lucy's party- I ended up with some leftovers so I let the kids all decorate one. But they were all so sugared out from the day that not one of them was able to eat their entire cookie after decorating it- it was a first!

Friday was a good day to recover from a busy week. I finally got a workout in and Penny finally was able to do a reading lesson. An added bonus was that I squeezed in a nap!

Saturday morning I went to visit the sister that I minister. She is a sweet lady and it was nice catching up with her. I am always impressed with how she was able to become a doctor while raising three children. She's amazing! 

Afterwards Tyler and I decided to take the kids on an impromptu trip to the zoo. The temps were only in the 20's so we just hit all the indoor exhibits but it was just nice to get out. The only stressful thing was that the kids kept insisting on "skating" on the ice that was all over the grassy areas- made me so nervous. They fell so many times but somehow no broken bones or bleeding.

This week my inability to say no has left us dog sitting for a friend. We were just going to leave the dog at the friend's house but when I realized we would have to go over 3 times a day to check in on the dog I decided we should just try bringing her over here. After a rough Friday night where Tyler ended up sleeping downstairs with her, we had a traumatic Saturday morning because she kept jumping up on the boys (and thrusting herself at them). Now that we've had her for about a day she has calmed down a bit and doesn't jump up awkwardly on the boys anymore. I am hoping things will continue to be better. But I am not a fan of the dog smell and I am definitely still not a dog person and have no plans of ever owning one.

Job Worries, Drops of Awesome and Lego Birthday

This week started off with the stressful possibility of Tyler being laid off. General Motors was laying off 4000 people and unlike the first rounds of lay offs that they had in December these ones were much more random and according to Tyler no one was safe. On Monday they were laying off people at a building nearby and Tyler heard his building would be the next day so he spent Monday night super anxious and unable to sleep. Tuesday morning he watched as 8 of his friends who sit in his area got laid off. Shortly after that stress, he was told that his job was safe. It's funny how we take some things for granted, like jobs. I am so grateful that he still has one!

After the relief of finding out that he still has a job I got to volunteer in Ben's classroom. Once again Ben's teacher complimented Ben on his excellent writing skills- this time he did it in front of the whole class, using him as an example of awesomeness. He got super red and embarrassed and it was really cute.

When I finished volunteering we met my friend at Arby's to celebrate her birthday. We go there a lot and the same employee always seems to be working there. He's super awkward, makes a lot of eye contact and wears a plastered on smile but he's just part of the experience😜. At the end when they take your name, he tried to remember mine. He thought it was Jessica- close enough, ha ha! I love our Arby's lunch dates though, good food and good company.

Tuesday night my friend Stefanie came over and we worked on a puzzle (a super awesome Willy Wonka puzzle that I got for $3 at Hobby Lobby) and watched "Crazy Rich Asians." It was my idea of the perfect Girl's Night- puzzling, socializing, silly movie and yummy junk food- and I didn't even have to leave the house! Every time I hang out with Stefanie I feel so grateful that we moved next door to her family 5 years ago.

Early in the morning Wednesday we got some freezing rain so school was cancelled due to icy roads. It was a really LONG day- I could tell the kids had had their fill of being stuck inside with each other. So much fighting. 

Thursday the kids had a half day and I knew I did not want to be cooped up in the house with the kids again so we headed to the library for the afternoon. It was a good choice! My neighbor, Stacie, happened to come to the library shortly after us with her kids so my kids got to hang with hers and I got to chat with her and it ended up being a real nice outing.

Thursday night was RS Enrichment. I had a bit of a terrifying drive there because it was super foggy but I survived. There was a nice motivational speaker about "Drops of Awesome." It was about how often we think something positive about ourselves, we allow a negative thought to sneak in after it. Instead we need to hold onto those positive thoughts- those drops of awesome. It was a good message. At the end she asked people to share some of their drops of awesome from the day and my heart started to beat fast (like it does when I feel like I need to share my testimony). It seemed weird that I was feeling prompted to boast about myself but I think that was Heavenly Father's way of showing me that he notices me and he notices the good I do for my kids- and that maybe I should stop beating myself up so much.

I spent Friday making lots of cake for Steven's birthday (we needed lots of layers to make a Lego Head) and babysitting for a friend. Then that night I had another Girl's Night in- this time making a puzzle with my friend's Corinne and Chalsea. 2 nights of puzzling with friends in one week makes for a great week!

Also Friday I discovered that Lucy has a sugar addiction problem. After seeing a finger indention in a cake I confronted her and she informed me that I should have put it higher where she couldn't reach because she just couldn't help herself. Then the next morning we notice that she had been snitching some frosting (it was gray so kind of hard to hide the evidence on her lips). She lost some jewels for that one. I am pretty sure that sugar addiction came straight from me.

Saturday morning was Steven's 11th birthday party. He invited his two friends Max and Evan over and they went to see "Lego Movie 2" with Tyler and Ben. Afterwards they all came back and we had pizza and cake. It was my favorite kind of party- not crazy and stressful at all and I think Steven really enjoyed it. For the cake, Tyler copied the head of the Lego minifigures Steven was giving his friends. I really only meant for him to copy the gray skullcap on the one I gave him and then do a regular Lego face but he ended up copying the whole thing- too bad I had given him Max's minifigure and not Steven's. Still awesome though- even if Tyler thinks it's the worst one he's done. 

ColdER

On Monday the weather was predicted to bring 5-8 inches of snow throughout the day. Since this could cause the roads to be pretty bad by the time school ended they made a preemptive decision to cancel school. The predictions came true and we ended up with 8 inches of snow so it was a good thing that they decided to cancel. After the snow had accumulated I made the kids go outside and play in it. They had fun digging in it and making snow angels.

I also had the joy of shoveling it that night. It's crazy how much less I mind shoveling now that our driveway is at least half the size it used to be. The snow was also fluffy and light. The only trauma is when I came back inside and found out that chaos had ensued while I was outside. As I came inside I heard Steven say to Penny: "I didn't tell you to bite her THAT hard!" And then I see Lucy smack Penny. I don't know what game involves biting but it is now banned from our house.

Tuesday the kids went back to school and I got to enjoy a normal day. In the morning we had Penny's speech class. Afterwards I asked the teacher how she was doing and she told me that it wasn't going well. Penny being a year younger than all the other kids meant that they all needed to work on different skills than her. I had a feeling that this would be the case so I wasn't super surprised. They have now moved her to a Wednesday morning speech group with kids that have similar needs. The biggest bummer of this was that she had finally made a friend- now she is going to have get acclimated to new people all over again.

After her class we headed to Ben's class to volunteer. It was a fun time of editing papers. Ben's teacher also informed me that he has been doing really well with his writing and recently got a 97% on a math test. It was nice to get some positive feedback on Ben. I am proud of him!

When we finished at Ben's class we went to Tropical Cafe Smoothie since she had earned a date with me for filling up her jar. She ended up getting a "pink" smoothie and has already told me that she wants to get another pink smoothie when she fills up her jar again. She's addicted.

Wednesday and Thursday the weather went colder than it has been in decades- I think the lowest we got was -15 and with the windchill it was a real feel of -45. These freezing temperatures meant that school was cancelled so the kids and I took advantage of that and did not leave the house even once on those two days. 

I might have gone stir crazy if friends hadn't come to visit us. On Wednesday I had a friend and her 4 kids come over in the afternoon. We worked on a puzzle while the kids all played and it was really a fantastic day in.

However that same friend came over again on Thursday morning and it was not nearly as fantastic the second go around. It was quite chaotic and stressful. Her youngest managed to get in the bathroom upstairs and totally mess it up- towels in the toilet, pieces of toilet paper everywhere, feminine pads ripped apart. Later on her son jumped on Lucy's bed and broke one of the boards. Then her older son accidentally bumped the box of puzzle pieces and spilled them into our couch- things tend to fall into our couch and never return. Then their was the incident of the floor vent cover being pulled off and a ball thrown in it. Also her kids totally raided our snack cupboard and emptied it out. So it was a rough get together. I think she was having a rough week herself though and that's why she wasn't super helpful in all these incidents. Remembering this helps me not to get too frustrated with all that went down.

That afternoon I had two other friends come over. Things were a little stressful with them. The one friend has an infant and the other one has two kids, one of which feel asleep on her lap most of the time. It was refreshing to have some socialization without the chaos so the day ended on a better note.

Friday the temperatures warmed up enough that the kids could go back to school. It was still only -5 when I took them to the bus stop but at least I was able to drive them there since Tyler left to work a little later that morning. Sharing a car is such a pain. After school on Friday we decided to take advantage of free first Fridays at the Cranbrook Museum. It was so nice to get out of the house with the kids and roam the museum. We also encountered a beautiful sunset over an icy/snowy lake on our way there. Once there they all behaved surprisingly well which meant we actually got to read some signs and learn stuff. It was a good outing.

Saturday night Steven and Ben had their Blue and Gold Banquet. It had a fun Western theme and the food was chips and chili. Usually our family ends up alone at a table but this time we sat with the Bloomfield's which was a nice change. Highlight of the evening was when Steven got to cross over the bridge and receive his Arrow of Light. This was good motivation for Ben- he now wants to earn his Arrow of Light (mostly because he thinks the plaque is awesome). 

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.