Valentines

Monday was Steven's actual 17th birthday. In the morning he had no gifts to open from us because he just wanted $$. He did get a card and gift card from Grams and Poppy Brady to open and a few days later some silver coins from his other grandparents. We let him ditch his high school classes that day but he still had to go in for his college classes. That evening I made Steven his favorite chicken alfredo and then the Jones family came over for cup cakes and ice cream.

After we celebrated Steven, we all went to Lucy's volleyball game. The game did not go well. Lucy's team lost 2 out of the 3 matches. It was not their night. And poor Maverick fell backwards off the bleacher seat during the game so it wasn't his night either. 

Wednesday while the girls were at their classes I went through the stuff in the basement and took a load to Salvation Army. It always feels good to get stuff out of the house. After we dropped off the load, I took Ruby to the library. I was just going to do a quick stop to pick up a book and let her play for a minute because I was not looking my best, but we ran into the other mom from the ward that has a girl Ruby's age. I ended up staying longer then planned, chatting with her and another mom friend of hers (this time she didn't cut me out of the conversation, like the last time I saw her at the library). It was nice but I wish I had actually done my hair before going out. 

Wednesday night we were supposed to get a lot of snow so all activites were cancelled that night and schools decided to preemptively cancel for Thursday as well. It ended up not being much a storm, just a few inches of snow. I really think they could have still had school and that the weatherman is maybe just a high schooler that just doesn't want to have school. The kids were happy to all have a day off. We had a lazy day in. 

Thursday night we had a Valentine's get together with the girls friends: Claire, Mimi, and Geli and Luna (who came an hour late). We started with crafts- little pizza boxes(you have a pizza of my heart), shrinky dinks (that ended up not shriking well in the oven because the girls put a few on the pan upside down) and they water colored a heart. After the crafts Geli and Luna showed up so we played some minute to win it games- older girls (unicorns) versus the youngers (team pink). We matched and stacked conversation hearts, tried to slide rubber ducks onto hearts, used straws to take marshmallows from one side of the table to the other, and they shook cups to determine which has more conversation hearts. The older girls ended up winning by just one point. Our last activity was decorating (and eating) cookies. Then they had about 20 minutes just to hang out before parents came to pick up. I know my girls love these crafts and activities so I am happy to host this for them and their friends.

Friday was Valentine's Day and I gave each of the kids their love gifts and cards. The boys were off early in the morning so they didn't get theirs until after school and I didn't snap a picture of them....but Steven got $$, Ben got a Goomba Lego set, Lucy and Penny got Beanie Boos and Ruby got a Police Duplo set.

Friday morning Tyler and I went to the Village of Milford to turn in our passport applications. It was a quick and easy process and now we are one step closer to our Englad trip. I have been spending lots of time looking up things because it has been so cold and icy here and it helps to dream of traveling to far off pretty places...even if we won't be going there for another a year.

That evening Lucy had another school dance with her friends. This time her Aunt Mariah came over and did her hair and make up. She looked really fancy and way to pretty to be at a place where boys were. She said that she did not dance with any boys, just hung with her friends the whole time.

 

Also that night my friend Corinne came into town. We went to Arby's and then hung out at my house. Shes stayed over until 1am which was way past my bedtime. She is the same bubbly enthusiastic and slightly judgy friend, lol. 

Saturday morning was nice and chill. I have been working on the books I make for the kids for Easter so it was nice to have some time for that. That afternoon I watched Corinne's 3 kids while her and her husband went to the temple. Lucie and Penny were awkward at first but it didn't take long before they were back to being good friends. Della and Joel were really chill kids and mostly just played with toys. I was worried her kids were going to be tricky (because they were when she used to live here) but honestly it was just my kid- Ruby- that was tricky. Ruby did not love sharing her toys or me with these other kids. She has a lot of only child behaviors as the major baby of this family. When their parents came back from the temple, we all hung for a bit and then they headed out to go visit another family. Honestly I had had some trepidation about Corinne's visit being a little overwhelming but it was just the right amount. 

This week Ruby has been getting some teeth in so there were a couple early wake ups with her- Tyler was a big help thankfully. Ruby is very much a toddler and does not like to have her diaper changed or go down for a nap- she often runs from me. We are also constantly telling her "feet on the seat" because she wants to climb onto the table instead of just stand on the chair. She loves to play with her Barbies and try to put them on their horses. She also plays with her Fisher Price Little People quite a bit. I am honestly quite impressed with how well she independently plays at this age. This week she has been doing better at signing "all done" when she is officially done eating (she seems to lose words and signs and then come back to them) and she has been very excited about all the "snow" outside- even though I don't take her out in it. It has been sooooo cold. 

Steven 17th Birthday

 Monday I took Lucy and Penny to Chuck-E while Ruby napped. It was really nice to not have the baby with me so I could just hang with the older girls and play games with them. I didn't hate Chuck-E quite as much as I had our last couple of visits. Monday night Lucy had her first volleyball game (with Tyler as coach) and they won all 3 matches. It was close on the last one but here's hoping for another good season.

Tuesday our excitement of the day was a trip to the library. Ruby gravitated towards the area where they have a bunch of tunnels and ramps attached to a wall that you can make a little course to put balls through. I think she likes that area because she usually gets it to herself. We got Ruby a bunch of "Baby Shark" and "Daniel Tiger" books, her current obsessions. At dinner time, Ruby really hammed it and was having fun making everyone laugh with her silly faces. That night, while the boys were at archery, the girls and I watched "Gilmore Girls" because all of Lucy's friends are watching it. The first season is pretty tame so I think we might just watch that season.

Wednesday the older girls had their classes at Renaissance. Penny had her theater auditions which she was super nervous about but she came home saying she did good, she just talked a litle fast. Her friends cheered for her when she finished. Lucy told me that she joined in with a group for script writing and exchanged contact information with her group members. Maybe she will finally make some Wednesday friends. While they were in class Ruby and I ran a few errands. She is not the best errand runner. She does not love being in a cart these days. 

Thursday the kids all got a snow day because of icy roads. I ended up running a few more errands and the roads were just fine. Dang kids get out of school too much. 

Friday Ruby had her 18 month check up. As much as I love the nurse who usually does all her stats (she is super nice), we had different one and he was much more efficient and much better at helping her stay calm. He took my temp first to show her it was ok, had the head measure thing all set up so he only had to put it on her for a sec and measured her length last because he knew that would upset her to be away from me. The rest of the check up went well until she got her shots BUT I was prepared and after the shots I gave her a lollipop (they never give her one there) and played her favorite song "Police Car" on my phone. She calmed down pretty quickly and happily walked out of the office.

Friday evening Tyler and I went to Leo's because I was desperately craving chilli cheese fries. They hit the spot and we had a fun time out. 

Saturday morning the boys went and helped their friend David pass out flyers for his Eagle Scout Project. Apparently Ben and his friends were looking pretty suspicious and someone called the cops on them- I mean the boys were in black and messing around people's doors. Ben had a cop pull up to him and see what he was doing. Thankfully he articulated things well and the cop realized he was not a threat, ha.

Saturday afternoon Steven had his 17th birthday party. He invited Max, Renee, David and Noah (a friend from school). Noah had never been here before and so I wasn't surprised when his dad came to the door. However, I was surprised when his dad took off his shoes and jacket and came inside too. Noah's dad stayed all 3 hours of the party- he said it wasn't worth it to go home, even though there home is near the high school and not super far. Thankfully he wasn't awkward and was easy to make conversation with but I still hadn't been expecting to have to be so present. It was a bummer though that Tyler was at an archery tournament with Ben for most of the time so it was just me and the dad. The boys played video games most of the time- they had a little tournament where Max and David won. I made some pasta and mozzarella sticks and had out Zebra cakes. Steven's friends are weird and didn't eat much. At the end we did the traditional happy birthday with cake. I think it was a success. After the party Steven and Max and Ben went to a stake dance. Steven said the dance was super lame. Ben said he danced with a girl because some in the ward told him to, ha.

Saturday evening I had the Caroline, Grace and Melissa over. It was pretty fun, the conversations were light and silly. I ate a lot of junk and after they left I started to feel queasy. I attempted to sleep but 2 hours later I woke up and spent the rest of the night throwing up. It was miserable. Throwing up was painful and gross and did not make me feel much better. I alternated between toilet, bathroom floor and couch- I went downstairs because that bathroom is not so gross. It was a long night. Sunday after 6am I did not throw up anymore but instead suffered from diarrhea. Needless to say, I did not go to church. I am hoping this was from something I ate and does not get spread to the rest of the family. Tyler was nice and taught my primary lesson and let me rest in bed most of the day.

Things

Monday was back to homeschool life and it was not a good week for homeschool. Lots of drama, mostly from Lucy who was getting really frustrated with math. I realized I wasn't being the best teacher, and needed to make comments that were more positive like "you are smart and I know you can do this!" than comments that were like, "you should have this already!". It is really hard to teach your own children.

Tuesday morning, Tyler and I attempted to go turn in our passport paperwork to a post office that said on their website that they had walk in hours, but when we got there we were informed they are understaffed and they don't do that anymore. That was really frustrating. As much as I hate phone calls, I decided we couldn't waste another trip so I called another place on the list while we were driving home. Their first appointment wasn't until Valentine's Day so it looks like we will be spending our Valentine's morning applying for passports. Very romantical.

Wednesday I dropped off the girls at school and then I attempted to clean out the guest room but was hindered by a toddler tornado. Thankfully Steven had a half day (off his already half day which means he gets home super early)  and he ended up watching Ruby for a bit so I could finish cleaning up the room (mostly because he wanted to get on his computer in the guest room but not with me there). It feels a little better now but Ruby was getting fussy with Steven so I had to rush. After the cleaning, Ruby was an emotional disaster so we ended up going a walk. It had been a long time since we did our loop. The roads were still snowy and icy and I thought it was super ironic that a couple hours after our walk, a snow plow came through the neighborhood and cleared the roads. That evening Lucy had volleyball and it turns out they didn't have a coach for her yet so Tyler decided to volunteer. He is now coaching archery and volleyball which means he has something 4 nights a week to coach,lucky duck.

Thursday I was feeling spazzy about my bangs, they just didn't feel quite right, and Grace was nice and made time for me to come in to her salon and get them adjusted. She cut them slightly shorter and added in some side bangs. I feel much better about them and am grateful she puts up with me. I knew she wouldn't let me pay her (she sends me money back on Venmo when I try to) so I brought her a jar of pickles. It looked pretty funny when I pulled it out of my little purse.

Thursday Tyler also had his annual review with his boss. He was really worried because some of his friends, that he felt were personable and good employees had gotten laid off, but thankfully he did not get laid off. Instead he got raving reviews that came with a big raise and a good bonus. I know inflation and expensive kids will take most of that money but he is also hoping to pay a little more on our loans (student debt and equinox) . And as for the bonus, hopefully we can remodel our upstairs bathroom at long last and save some for our 20th anniversary trip next year.

Thursday, after dinner, Julie came over to drop off my canner that she had borrowed ages ago. She also brought Asher so we let the toddlers have a play date. Asher is talking a lot more than Ruby but he is a few months older. I was worried with Ruby not being a great sharer that it might be rough to have another toddler in her space but she did fine for the most part. She even "fetched" the balls that Asher threw, lol. I enjoy hanging out with Julie because she is the one mom that I know that is in a similar situation- older mom with a large gap between her youngest and her other kids. It is nice to have someone who can relate with the unique challenges that brings. 

Friday, during Ruby's nap, I went to Stefanie's. She had some books she was wanting to pass on to someone else but really that was just an excuse for us to get together and catch up. It was a really nice outing talking about all the things in our lives- particularly our children growing up and travel wishes. Getting some new books to read was just an added bonus. For dinner Tyler and I went to Costco to pick up pizza and while we were there it snowed a lot and we had a very slippery drive back home. It was scary and was very grateful that it was Tyler driving, not me. That night the kids were all home so we watched "Flight of the Navigator". I thought it was a pretty fun old movie.

Saturday was fairly uneventful. Steven had work and Ben went to another archery tournament. This tournament Ben got 223, so 3 points higher than the last. It's fun seeing how he's improving. That evening we babysat Mariah's kids. I was having them play on the tablet and Jessie tripped over the cord and knocked it off the table. It scared me and I shouted her name. The tablet was just fine, but apparently, even though I told her a dozen times I wasn't mad at her and I knew it was an accident, I traumatized her by shouting her name. She got in the car and told her mom that I was mad at her and didn't love her anymore. Mariah said Jessie's never had an Aunt yell at her before, way to make me feel crappy. They ended up coming back so Mariah could show her I was not mad at her. It was a lot of hullabaloo about nothing.

Ruby this week seemed to either wake up early (like 6:30) or wake up during the night and need to snuggle for an hour before going back to her bed. She is getting more teeth in so I would like to blame this for the bad sleep but who knows. Ruby has also picked up some new words, like "ball" and "snow". I wish she would learn more specific words that just "food" though. I am tired of her just saying "food" when she wants to eat but not knowing what food she actually wants. This week Ruby discovered the joy of stacking play-doh containers and obsessed over stacking them and knocking them down and then repeating that for ages. She also still is obsessed with listening to the "Police Car Song" by Pink Fong.

And random pics because when I get new hair I tend to take lots of selfies to come to terms with my new face, lol.

 

Henry Ford Museum

Monday was MLK Day and the Henry Ford Museum was offering free admission for the holiday so we ended up meeting Mariah's family there. The museum was crowded since it was FREE and also it was one digit temps outside but I still think it was a good outing for the day. The kids had fun seeing all the things with their cousins and I only lost Ruby once for 30 seconds- we didn't bring a stroller and she can move very fast. Lucy said her favorite part was the 90's stuff and Penny enjoyed the 90's music in that section- so preppy ;)

Tuesday school ended up being cancelled for the boys because of negative temps. I gave the girls the day off from homeschool as well- they get to have the same schedule as the boys. It really was a cold day but we still got out. In the morning I took the girls to the library. Penny and I had fun making a zoo out of the Duplo's for Ruby to play with. The girls also insisted on doing a snowman scavenger hunt at the library because they really wanted prize. They had done it before so I am pretty sure them doing it again was frowned upon.

Later Tuesday, after Ruby's nap, I took the younger 4 to Chuck-E-Cheese. They may not be tired of it yet but boy am I tired of it. Ruby rides on like the same 3 rides over and over again. One of the rides plays this police song by pinkfong and I managed to find it on youtube and it makes Ruby so happy when I play it. One day she kept gesturing to Alexa when it ended so we ended up listening to it like 4 times in a row. 

Wednesday the second semester of classes at Renaissance finally started for the girls. It was a super cold day again and high school was cancelled for the boys but they did not cancel school for the girls since no one at Renaissance rides the bus and runs the risk of freezing to death at a bus stop. The girls had a good day back. Penny had lots of new drama to share with me and is very excited to have theater again. She is currently working hard on her audition part which is a sort of "vote for me as school president" part. Lucy insists on being anti social and refused an invite to sit with some people at lunch and instead sat by herself. She is excited by her script writing class and mock trials class though. I just wish she would make friends. While the girls were all at school I took Ben, and his friend AJ to Chuck-E, along with Ruby. I was going to get the boys a crappy pizza since it was lunchtime but AJ said pizza makes him sick so I ended up getting wings that turned out to be even more crappy than the pizza there. They cost me $12 ( with a $5 off coupon) and there were only like 8 little nuggets that were burnt. They also took forever to be done- just like the pizza. Sorry Chuck-E, not impressed. 

All activities were cancelled Wednesday night because of the weather so instead we stayed home and watched "American Tail". A super fun classic. Now the kids will know what I am singing when I sing "there are no cats in America and the streets are paved with cheese!!"

Thursday the boys were back in school, thank goodness, and it was back to homeschooling for the girls. Penny was feeling extra dramatic that day and got upset that Lucy started her school work before she did but she also did not want to start school when Lucy started. These girls are exhausting. Friday was more homeschooling and this time Lucy chose drama. Math can really infuriate her (and me). 

Friday, during Ruby's nap, I took the girls to the mall to see if we could find Lucy the jeans we loved for her (that she ripped) because they weren't selling them online. Unfortunately, they were not selling them in store either, so that was a bust. She did try some junior jeans on from a couple other stores but her waist is just like one size under their smallest size. 

Friday evening I went to Grace's. It was just me and her and we had a really nice chat about all the things in our lives. We were talking about books and then she got stuck on a word to describe the book I had read and it took her awhile until it finally came to her "wholesome"! lol. Anyways she also offered to cut me some bangs Saturday so I took her up on it. So Saturday I spent the morning at Grace's salon because I ended up coloring my hair too. I am adjusting to the new color and bangs! But I think I love them?

Saturday afternoon I took Lucy and her friend to Salvation Army and managed to find Lucy a cute hoodie and me a couple sweaters. Then we picked up Penny and Ruby and went to Chuck-E. Boo for me. Penny complained the whole time because Lucy and Claire weren't playing with her. I don't know why she expected them to. It was also WAY more busy than it ever is on weekday and I hated that. I really am grateful for the passes but it is just not a fun place for me. 

Also Saturday, Ben and Steven had an archery tournament in Okemos and it went well. Ben's score went up a smidge and he got a 224 and Steven stayed around his average 253.

Arizona and Home

Sunday it was Brennen's missionary farewell so I went to that in the morning. The only Hatch family that knew I was in town was Steve and Leslie so when I came in to the church building Tara was surprised to see me. I hope it was a good surprise and wasn't offensive that I was in town for my mom and not specifically Brennen. I chatted for a bit with Bryson, Brennen and Tara and then went and sat down by myself because Tyler's family is always late and Tara was busy greeting everyone. Leslie and Steve came shortly after and then Tyler's Aunt Jackie and Aunt Cricket and Uncle Doug came. I made a comment about how good Aunt Jackie looked and she said "for my age?" and I told her she didn't look like she had aged at all since I last saw her- I meant it. But then she awkwardly said "well you look alright too". It didn't feel like she meant so I feel slightly offended. 

Jezerea and her kids came to sit by me after we had taken sacrament. Jezerea had to go nurse her baby so I pulled out my coloring book that I had brought and gel pens (yes I am a child) and did my best to entertain her other 2 kids. Her daughter is super energetic and was not acquainted with whispering. 2 missionaries spoke, then Brennen played a nice piano solo and spoke. He talked about the time his parents left him accidentally and the power of prayer, he talked about how he was kind to someone and the difference it made to them and him and he talked about how he doesn't have a complete testimony yet but knows his mission will help that. He seems like a good, self aware kid. When it was all over I said hello and goodbye to everyone in the foyer and then I went Mike and Mecca's house. I felt guilty not going to the luncheon at Tara's house but the idea of so many people and no husband or kids for me to lean on seemed very anxiety provoking.

I spent the rest of Sunday at my brother's house chatting with Mike and Mecca and playing with their kids (they really liked looking at videos and pictures of Ruby on the phone and then making their own videos). Oliver also introduced me to some of his favorite 21 Pilots songs. My parents came over as well and we all had yummy food. It was her belated New Years Eve spread- veggies, sandwiches, chips and salsa...

Monday morning Poppy took me to Deseret Book because I always have to go there when I am in town. They have some good stuff but always expensive. Tyler wanted cool posters for the seminary walls but they really had nothing for that and I am not sure how I would have got them home anyways. I ended up just getting a cute embroidery thing for Lucy but who knows if she will figure out how to make it. If she doesn't, I think I would like to try. After Deseret we met Mike at Mi Amigo's for lunch. It was so yummy as always. 

I made potatoe soup for Grams for dinner Monday night and then Mike came over with Lillian and we rented "Wicked" since she really wanted to see it and I thought Grams might enjoy it. It was a really nice last evening in Arizona. I think everyone enjoyed the movie and Grams was especially glad that we could watch it in the comfort of her home.

Tuesday my flight wasn't until 4:30 so Poppy took me thrift store shopping in the morning. I ended up finding some books for the kids that were in really great shape and a few shirts for me. I found too much stuff really because my suitcase was already stuffed! But thankfully with my extra large purse I had brought, I was able to make everything fit. For lunch Grams went through the Chick-fil-A drive thru with me because their chicken sandwhiches are usually a safe bet for my tummy on travel days. Around 2 Mike came to chauffeur me to the airport. I almost left my wallet at my parents like a dummy but realized my mistake when I hopped in Mike's car. Everything went smoothly through security and even though I got stuck behind a hot mess family, I was on an aisle seat and there was no one in the middle seat and it was a good flight home. I had downloaded "Shrinking" and binge watched it the whole way home. That show makes me laugh and cry and feel all the feels.

When I landed, the hot mess family was, of course, a hot mess getting out of the plane and the lady in the window seat by me was not very nice and said some mean things about them. That made me uncomfortable because even if I felt similar feelings, I wasn't going to voice those feelings loudly. Once out I had to wait a bit on Tyler because of some miscommunication but man it was good to see him, even if the weather here was bitter cold.

Wednesday morning I was super excited to see Ruby but she gave me a very meh reaction. Hurtful. For the day I had decided I was going to just have a fun with the girls since they had been cooped up while I was gone. First we went to the library since we had some books we needed to pick up. This family from our ward was there- they always seem to be there when we go. She made a comment about us being there all the time and I wanted to be sassy and be like, uh so are you! Apparently she was meeting someone else from the Ward too because when that mom came, they kind of huddled in and cut me out. That was kind of a bummer because this other mom has the only other baby Ruby's age in our ward and I would love to get Ruby a friend her age. Ruby is not great with other babies. She gives them dirty looks and struggles to share. However, she loves random stranger adults and goes up to them and asks them to read to her...

After the library we came home and picked up Ben who had a short day because of finals and went to Chuck-E-Cheese. The kids played and I even ordered pizza. The pizza took 40 minutes and it was not that fancy for taking so long. I was not impressed. Ruby is getting more and more into the "rides" there and really loves the police car ride and she enjoys the mini carousel.

After Chuck-E-Cheese we picked up Lucy's friend Claire and brought her to our house for the afternoon. I think I did a good job of making the day fun for the girls but they were still pretty sassy and made me crazy. Such is motherhood.

Thursday we got back into homeschool for the girls and it was rough. Lucy was fine but Penny was full of emotions and it was exhausting. After we got our work done I took the girls to look for pants and that was more exhausting drama. I really wish a company would come out and sell pants specifically for my tall and thin girls. It is so rough finding them jeans that fit and even more tough with a wiggly toddler. When we got done with that we had Mimi over. I hated rewarding dramatic Penny with friend time BUT it was also really nice that they were all entertained for the afternoon. That evening we went to Mariah's to celebrate Wesley's birthday. The kids had fun, the homemade ice cream was delicious and Mariah had a good vent about her friends' visit. 

Friday we did homeschool, and at lunchtime I went to the piercing place to see about changing out my nose stud for a shorter pole- I want it to fit more snug. I made the mistake of telling her that my baby had bumped my piercing during the night (which she had and it hurt lots) and the piercer said it looked like it might be swelling so she didn't end up changing it out. Now I have to try again later. Boo. That afternoon we went on another visit to Chuck-E and then Lucy had a sleepover at Claire's. That night Ben, and I watched "The Fugitive". Penny had started to watch it with us but decided it was too violent for her. She is very sensitive. 

Saturday morning we went to the Dollar Tree and I found a "magic" sink for Ruby. It was oviously not great quality but she has had lots of fun washing dishes with it. That afternoon Tyler and I went out to get our passport photos. Our anniversary gift for this year is passports so we can go travel somewhere amazing next year for our 20th. Now we have the photos (Tyler's looks like a mug shot) and we filled out the paperwork later that night so sometime this coming week we will go turn it all in. I have to say that getting a passport is way easier than registering my children for school or any of the other things I have to sign them up for. After getting our photos we tried a new place for dinner and were very unimpressed. We were literally the only customers there and the service was terrible and the food was over priced. This is why we usually stick to our favorite places.

Sunday the boys had an archery tournament. Ben did his best yet- 220 and Steven did alright-249. I am proud of Ben for improving. Steven, I know he can do better *sigh*. They still managed to make it for most of church which was good since I was teaching. During sacrament Ruby did mostly good until the end when she decided to squeeze a fruit pouch all over her pretty dress.

Arizona

 Monday and Tuesday we started back up with homeschooling since the boys were back at school. I was worried that after the long break it would be rough to get back into it but the girls did suprisingly well. After the girls did their work Monday, I had a dentist appointment. There is a tooth that has been bothering me but I never say anything anymore because I figure if there is something wrong it should show up in the xray and I really don't want to pay for more dental work...The lady who cleaned my teeth commented that the gums were puffy by that tooth and she showed it to the dentist but he didn't seem worried. He just told me to get a water pik/flosser and that would help. I guess I should get one to see if that does help. Monday evening we did another visit to Chuck-E-Cheese. The kids are still obsessed. We will see how much longer the obsession lasts, but at this point I think we have definitely gotten our moneys worth on the passes.

Wednesday I had an extra early flight to Arizona. Ruby had woken up in the night and after I got her back to sleep, I checked to make sure my alarm was on. While checking my alarm I somehow turned it off like a dummy and so it did not go off at 4:30am. Luckily my body woke me up just before 5 and I almost shouted to Tyler "We slept in" (I do like "Home Alone"). He still got me to the airport in plenty of time and I had an hour to sit and read while I waited for my flight. On my flight I got really lucky and had no one sitting by me on my row and no one behind me either. I read a chic lit for part of the flight and then watched the show "Shrinking". My friend had told me about it so I was excited they had it. Unfortunately they only had the first 3 episodes so they hooked me in and then left me high and dry. So rude. 

It was still morning when I made it to Arizona which made the day feel very long and tiring. Mike was nice and picked me up from the airport and brought me to my parent's house. We chatted for awhile and then he had to get back to work. I was hungry at that point so Grams and Poppy took me to Zuppas to eat. After Zuppas Grams and I meal planned and then went grocery shopping. We are super exciting ;)That night I introduced her to the show "The Middle" and we enjoyed watching that in the evening while I was there.

Thursday morning I helped my mom put together her new Swiffer mop and then decided I needed to clean her floors. I'm not sure I did a great job since my socks still got dirty while I was there but I tried real hard. That afternoon Mike and Mecca took me out to a fancy convenience store called "Air Guitar" and ate some very fancy cotton candy burritos. They were delicious! We also spotteed luxury apartments that were named very appropriately "The Tyler"!

When we finished our delicious treat, Mike was nice and took me to a Lego store that resales Lego's. I loved it and spent more money that I should but also less money than I wanted to. I finally got a minifigure for Ruby, new hair for Ruby, a glasses face for Penny and a new Tyler. I also got a few other random minifigures. Our updated family is pictured below on a cool stand that Mike gave me. 

Friday I met my mother in law for lunch at Kneaders. I thought it might be awkwared because sometimes she is not so chatty but it actually ended up not awkward and really nice. We had a good chat about all the things- my kids, her kids, and a lot about Jezerea and her crummy husband. We chatted for 2 hours. Steve gave Leslie cash for the lunch so that was nice. She decided to get a treat and I was a people pleaser and pretended I liked the brownie she got. Brownies usually upset my stomach so I am not a fan. 

After lunch I took Grams to her dr's appointment. I was mostly just a chauffeur,  I don't think I offered much other than that but I was glad to be there and keep her company. Her doctor was in and out very quickly but the guy who checks her pace maker stayed around longer and helped answer her questions.

Later that day, I went and saw "Gladiator 2" with Mike and Poppy. Only 2 other people were in the theater besides us, it had been out for awhile. I really loved the first one so I was hoping this would be good but it was mostly a cash grab. Weird AI animals, shallow characters and lots of repeated story lines. It was still entertaining I suppose but not quite what I was hoping for. 

Saturday morning I went on a hike with Mike, Lillian, and Matilda. It was cold so I had to borrow my moms winter jacket since I hadn't packed mine. I am a baby, even in Arizona. We did "The Ranch" hike which we have done before and is a good one. Nothing strenuous but it's pretty and quiet. We came across some frozen water at one point aned the girls had fun throwing rocks at it and breaking the ice. Unfortunuately breaking the ice revealed the stinky algae underneath. Lillian talked to me about Harry Potter which she loves and she also talked about the boring stories she has to read in school. Matilda found the walk tiring but she was a trooper and made it through. We also walked by a family that had a couple dogs and one was eating horse poop so that was gross.

After the hike we ate at Cost Vida and then went back to my mom's house where Lillian and Matilda helped me make cookies for a bit before they headed off. I was surprised Gram's super ancient mixer was able to mix the dough. It did less great with the cookies I made Monday though... The rest of the day was mostly me cooking- I made a banana pie too and then dinner. However, I did take a break from cooking to go shoe shopping. I helped Poppy find some shoes and we got Ruby a cute pair of shoes because hers were getting tight. 

New Year!

On Sunday Tyler and Ruby stayed home from church. I wasn't feeling well but I had to play piano (I was subbing for the primary pianist) and I had to teach a primary lesson so I still went. I was feeling really crummy (runny nose, headache and a bit of nausea) and probably should have stayed home too but alas I went and shared my germs with everyone instead. 

On Monday Ruby and I still weren't feeling great and Tyler had joined the sick club. For Christmas Tyler's parents had gifted us a Chuck-E-Cheese pass and the middle three were desperate to use it so I ended up taking them, despite not feeling great. The middle three had a lot of fun so it was probably worth going. Ruby was not in to riding any of the moving cars or playing any of the games, she was still fussy. She spent most of the time wandering around the place and staring at the bright lights and things. Sometimes she joined in games with her siblings. I do feel like the pass his parents got us for Christmas is such a good deal because we have the ability to play 100 games every day for 2 months. It take the kids about an hour to go through 100 games so it entertains them for a good amount of time and is an easy outing.

Tuesday was New Years Eve. That morning I went out to breakfast with Caroline and Grace to celebrate Caroline's birthday (it was on Monday). It was a nice outing but the food wasn't quite as good as I remembered and I probably talked too much.

After Ruby's nap, Penny's glasses were ready for pick up- that was fast! She was so excited that we ended up going to pick them up immediately. She does look pretty cute in them.

That afternoon we did our new tradition (started last year) of taste testing weird sodas. I did not pick well this year apparently. The kids were grossed out by most of them. I had gotten butterscotch beer, marshmallow and bubblegum (I will admit that those were both gross), kitty piddle, alien snot and cookies and cream. After our soda taste testing, Lucy went to Claire's house for a New Years Eve Sleepover.

That evening we had Mariah's family over and her friend's family over again. It seemed like as soon as they got here my eye started getting all boogery and blurry. Ruby had indeed had pink eye after all and had given it to me. Of course, for the whole night, all I could think about was that I had pink eye and they were all going to notice and hate me for contaminating them. So it wasn't exactly a very fun night for me. Mariah didn't seem to be feeling well either. Her friend asked her if she was feeling nauseous and she nodded her head yes- either sick or maybe pregnant? It's probably about time for her to be pregnant again. At 8 they all watched a countdown and toasted with grape juice and sparkling cider. I do not know why they brought grape juice- that was terrifying in the hands of children. Thankfully no one spilled. Then they left and I couldn't help but just feel relief. I was able to take out my contacts and wash my eye with a cloth. I stayed up for a little while longer and Tyler and I worked on our "escape the crate" gift that we had gotten for Christmas. He pretty much solved all the puzzles we worked on that night while I sat there with my goopy eye but I still enjoyed seeing how the puzzles got solved. Meanwhile Ben and Penny watched "Little Rascals". I attempted to go to sleep around the time the kids movie ended but I was unsuccessful. I might as well have stayed up with everyone instead of lying in bed awake.

Wednesday we paid another visit to Chuck-E-Cheese- this time everyone came. It was the only family outing I could convince Steven to go on. I was glad he came and hung out with Ruby. He didn't even complain too much. My eye was still yucky but at least I had my glasses to hide behind. With it being the New Years I didn't want to deal with trying to find a dr's place open so I had decided to see if my eye would clear up on its own. After Chuck-E-Cheese, we went and got lunch at Chick-Fil-A. It was a nice morning out as a family. 

Thursday morning my eye wasn't goopy just a little pink so I didn't feel like I needed to go spend the $100 to go to a doctor. That morning the girls and I went to the mall. Lucy had gotten a giftcard for Claire's that she wanted to spend. It took her quite awhile to decide how to spend it but she ended up getting some earrings and a couple necklaces. I am not sure why she is so in to buying jewlery. She rarely changes her earrings and I never see her wearing necklaces. After Claire's, Ruby played in the kids play area, we got a pretzel, we stopped at the dog store and then we headed home.

Thursday afternoon Ben had Andrea over and wanted to take her to Chuck-E-Cheese so we went yet again. Ruby was napping so we left her with Steven. Tyler was back at  work. Lucy was starting to feel sick so she probably should have stayed at home but she did take a really cute pic while there. Ben and Andrea had a really good time though...

Friday morning I woke up with goopy eyes again and so did Ruby so we ended up at a same day clinic that morning. The doctor confirmed that we both had pink eye and prescribed us some drops but she didn't seem too concerned about any of our other symptoms- just told us to come back if they got worse. Like I want to come back and pay another $100. I just really hate how bad our healthcare is and that is why I procrastinate going to the doctor so much. Ruby seems to be doing better but neither one of us is great. Lots of boogers and coughing.

Friday evening Tyler and I went out to celebrate our 19th anniversary. I had failed to get him a gift that day but he had wrote me a really nice note. We were going to get dinner at our favorite Chinese place but sadly we got there and found it had been closed due to a fire a couple months ago. This was disappointing. We ended up at Applebee's which is not a favorite but it was food and it was nice to have night out without any kids (the girls were watching Ruby). 

Saturday morning we went, yet again, to Chuck-E-Cheese. We are becoming regulars. The kids just really love it and it is an easy and free way to get out of the house on a cold day. Ruby and I played some games. She liked a space invaders game, a chicken game and grabbing all the balls when I was trying to play skee ball. I also introduced the kids to Deal or No Deal and they seemed to like that one. It's nice to be able to try out games because we know we can come back and play more. We are not spending our tickets in hopes that we can get something super awesome at the end of our membership. 

Saturday afternoon I went to go to the piercing place so I could get a shorter rod on my nose stud but it turns out the piercer is out of town for the next 2 weeks. Boo. The rest of our day was uneventful. I think Ruby is finally feeling better so hopefully she will be good for Tyler when I go to Arizona Wednesday. She had been so fussy during the week- needing to be held and waking at nights- it is good we have turned a corner.