Fun with the Parents

 On Sunday my parents arrived in town and so this week was full of adventures. Be prepared for a picture overload. Monday we went on a nature walk at the West Bloomfield Nature Preserve. Ben had a shock when he went to climb on a fallen tree and instead came face to face with a snake. It left him pretty flustered and his days of climbing fallen trees might have come to an end. Steven brought his guinea pigs and ended up getting peed on several times (it seeps through their carriers). So gross. Other then those things and Ben using sticks as wands and broomsticks, it was a pretty uneventful walk. 

That evening Ben had his soccer practice and Poppy came so he could watch the girls on the playground nearby. Ben had a moment where his legs didn't quite do what he wanted and he ended up falling onto the soccer ball. I was the worst because he looked sort of funny as he fell so I let out a snicker. But apparently it really hurt so then I felt bad. The coach handled it well and after Ben took a drink to calm down he got back out there. He is definitely not one of the best players out there but he is eager to learn.

Tuesday morning we took the 3 youngest kids to see "Spirit." Steven didn't want to go because it was a "baby" movie so he stayed home and watched "Geostorm." Penny especially loved "Spirit" because she could relate to the main character- green eyes, and loves strawberries and horses. I thought it was a pretty cute movie. After Tyler got off work we went to the outlet mall in Auburn Hills. Tyler and my dad bought some ammunition at the Bass Pro Shop and then we visited some "girl" stores so Grams could properly spoil the girls. She got them both Beanie Boo dolls. We also had to get pretzels and cinnamon rolls while there, it's a mall tradition.

Wednesday we drove out to Frankenmuth. We did our traditional stop at Bronner's where the girls each purchased another Beanie Boo, apparently that's their new obsession. After that we took a walk on a covered bridge and hit up some tourist shops. We also bought some crepes. Penny had been all excited to have one with strawberries and chocolate but when she saw it she did not want it. She is not a fan of tortillas and it really looked like a tortilla. I got a crepe with meat and cheese and it was alright. I think I will always be partial to the ones Tyler makes and the ones me and my mom get at the Broken Yoke.

By Wednesday night I was exhausted but I still had a Young Women's Activity. I had to pick up 2 girls on the otherside of the boundaries to take to the activity but it was worth it to finally get them to an activity. At the activity we were tie dying shirts for Girl's Camp when the girls noticed some people with pizza and suddenly were dying for some. Little Casears was right down the street so I decided to go get some...and apparently 5 other girls wanted to join me. It was a little chaotic to have all of us crammed in the small lobby at Little Cesears but it does make me feel good that my yw like to hang with me. Other than having one girl who wanted to turn her Girl's Camp shirt into a statement for Trans rights, it was a good, but exhausting activity. I even got one girl on board for coming to camp who was not planning on going originally. It kind of stinks to finally feel like I am making an impact on these girls just as I am about to be released but that's life isn't it?

Thursday Ben and Steven went to Water Sport's Camp. One of Stefanie's friends was hosting it. They both got to ride on a boat, go tubing and other fun things. Ben ended up getting flipped over on the tube and his friend Beck fell on him. Apparently it really hurt his back and he had a pretty emotional time but he got back on it which is really great. Overall I think they had a good time.

While they were having fun in the lake, the rest of us went to Hell. Hell, Michigan that is. We went there so my mom could get herself another funny t-shirt and so we could do some mini-golfing. The lady there was really nice and let us golf for free. Apparently it's free after 4 and she said "It's 4 o'clock somewhere." It was kind of a run down course but you can't beat free, and the girls had fun cheating, I mean golfing. Afterwards Grams and Poppy bought us all ice cream and the lady was very generous scooping it out. She gave us so much and Penny found a way to smear it all over her face.

Friday we took a break from our major adventures and met up with some friends at Scarlets Park. Steven was going to walk there with Lucy, Grams and Poppy but instead decided to run alongside Ben, Penny and me who were riding our bikes. Sometimes he's weird. Afterwards the teens all came to my house to play Smash Brothers (David, Etta, Alissa). I made them all pancakes for lunch and they were having fun until they got bored of Video Games and couldn't decided what to do. The girls ended up leaving and then the boys went back to video games. I struggle because I want my home to be the home where everyone wants to be but I also really don't want it to be. That makes me into a very awkward host;)

Saturday we went to Belle Isle (well everyone but Lucy and Tyler) and took a little walk to the William Livingston Memorial Lighthouse. I of course missed the turn for the parking lot and with the street being one way, we had to park about 5 mins away from the trailhead. But the walk itself was short and easy which was perfect for the kids. After that we went to the Dossin Great Lakes Museum. It was a nice little outing and not peopley which is always a plus.

Also this week, my doctor called with the results from my bloodwork and basically told me I have problems but she doesn't see why I can't get pregnant. So contradicting and I just don't want to be fed false hope. Between my isthmocele, my irregular periods, a cyst on my ovary, high DHEA levels and high cholesterol...I just think it's time to move on and let go. She also reiterated that I should go see a counselor and wrote it on my charts so that I can officially feel like a crazy person. It just would be a lot of money and that's besides the fact that I have anxiety about calling and going to medical appointments. But maybe when I have my mental breakdown I'll call ;)

Father's Day, Detroit Art Museum

 I think Tyler had a pretty good Father's Day on Sunday. It was filled with good food (omelette, shrimp and spicy chicken chipolte), no meetings and a nap. All the kids used their own money to buy him something. Penny went sentimental and got him a sweet sign that said he was the best Dad. Steven bought him cotton candy. Ben got him a dorky shirt and Pop Rocks and Lucy got the funniest gift- a magnet that said "That's what she said."She has no idea what that REALLY means, she just knows her dad says it way too often. I drew each kid with a funny quote they had said, made a collage and turned it into a desktop plaque for him.

This summer I really enjoy the mornings where I can sleep in, go for a run with Ben, take a long shower and then start the day. Monday was one of those good mornings. When all that was done the girls and I went and got $1 smoothies at Tropical Smoothie Cafe and then they tagged along while I visited one of my yw. This YW has chickens and cats so the kids got to see their animals while her and I visited. We had a good chat and I was so close to getting her to come to our Tree Runner Activity this week. BUT then Bishop invited her to a spontaneous temple trip that was around the same time. I know temple trumps activities but I was so frustrated. She hasn't been to an activity in years. She did promise to come to our next activity so I'm hopeful she will.

After the visit we went to the Dollar Tree. I didn't find what I wanted but the girls found some activity books. I went to buy them for them and the guy wouldn't ring me up because he said he was waiting for a customer to come back. After waiting 5 minutes, it genuinely did not like this customer was coming back. I was annoyed that he wouldn't just void their transaction and do mine, so I left. The girls were distraught. It was fun.

That afternoon we had made plans to meet up with Stacey's family at the beach. It was super cool and windy but we hadn't seen her family forever so we didn't cancel. The poor kids were freezing so we did not last long at all- about an hour in Lucy was begging to go home and change into a sweater. Michigan's weather can be so frustrating but at least we saw them for a bit before we headed out.

Ben had his first summer soccer practice that evening. It's a new league and the kids seem more skilled. If only Ben would stop having to stop to tie his shoes or running into people. He's not great but he does enjoy it and I am just happy that it keeps him active.

Tuesday I had my ultrasound. The ultrasound tech remembered me and all my issues from last year. She was really nice to me and very open about everything she saw. She kept saying how great it was that my utereus was normal and boring. She also pointed out that I had an isthmocele but told me that was totally normally. What she didn't realize was that I had a surgery last year to specifically remove the istmocele. I didn't tell her that, didn't want to squash her positivity. Afterwards when I met with the doctor, she also didn't think it was a big deal. She said it was very small and could have easily been missed. She said that 80% of women who get c sections have it and that the only reason they operated before was because of the mass they kept finding in my uterus. I honestly found the whole thing discouraging.

Tuesday afternoon we met a few families at my beach and tie dyed some shirts. I find tie dying rather stressful with kids but afterwards us moms all conversed while the kids played and that was nice. I shared my frustrations from my earlier doctor's visit with my friends. Caroline is always so anti baby that sometimes I get frustrated with her but Chalsea stepped in and said some supportive things that were helpful. Caroline also said how maybe this happened so I could see how having another baby is the "wrong direction." (referring to a conference talk where they hit a fork in the road, both felt prompted to go one direction, it dead ended so they then knew the other direction was the right way) As much it as I don't like that thought, it also has truth in it. Anyways with thoughts from that conversation, from the doctor's visit, from this long 2.5 year journey of trying and a long conversation later on this week with Tyler, I think it might be time to end of this journey of trying to have a baby. It's just a really hard decision to commit to.

On a lighter note, Wednesday afternoon I took my yw to Tree Runner Adventure Park. This was a work of love, so much effort to get young women there that we hadn't seen forever. I had some success and I think the yw who came really enjoyed it. A lot of them faced their fears and showed a lot of courage. One of our yw pushed herself a little too hard and ended up having to get "rescued" because she was essentially frozen in fear. I still feel proud of her for even just the attempt. It also ended up raining while we were there but it amazing what good coverage trees can provide. None of us got too soaked. Here is the crew (minus 2 that left early):

Friday morning I went in to the dr's office to get some more blood work done and then rushed back to take the kids to the Detroit Art Museum. The Museum was free, otherwise I might not have taken them. I really wasn't sure how much fun my kids would have an art museum. They actually ended up having a really good time...at first. They loved the Egpytian and Ancient Middle East exhibit. The mummies, the tools, the weapons- all intrigued them. Then we found the suits of armor upstairs which were equally cool. As we got into the painting exhbits they were doing pretty good still but then we triggered an alarm saying that we were too close to an exhibit and awhile later a security guard tracked us down and told me that Steven had touched an antique table on display and gave my kids a firm reprimand. I did not see him touch a table. I did see Ben point at antique furniture and thought that was what triggered the alarm. Steven claims he didn't touch anything. I doubt it, he's pretty spazy and could have easily done it. All I know is the reprimand in front of other visitors sort of put a damper on our fun and we didn't last much longer after that.

Penny found a statue named "Penelope" and was pretty excited.

To make up for the sour ending at the museum we picked up some cookies afterwards. We had had such a crazy busy week that Penny took a nap when we got back. Later that afternoon, Tyler and I met with a Stake High Council Member and were called us Seminary Teachers. I know I wanted this but I am also terrified. It is literally going to be like a job and on top of that I will still be homeschooling my kids 3 days a week. Here's hoping I survive the next school year.

Dow Gardens

 This was our first full week of summer vacation. Monday we had a real lazy start and then ended up watching my friend's kids. They were not a great addition to my lazy plan. The oldest always grates on my nerves- she's very bossy and not a good listener. The youngest was constantly putting himself in dangerous situations- light sockets, chairs, tables, my new oven....I had promised Lucy that we could bake something that day and this little one made that extremely difficult. I realized how unsafe my house is for babies. But when all was said and done, Lucy and I did end up with some pretty delicious brownies. It was our first time making them from scratch.

That evening we had a Family Home Evening with the Jensens. We honestly don't do FHE's officially, we just do lessons around the table but they had basically invited themselves over. They wanted Tyler to teach about 72 hour kits and they didn't have the space to host. It was awkward. Mostly just Tyler talking to the parents and the rest of us feeling bored. I also don't mesh super well with the mom, conversation always feels more stilted. So eventually I ended up outside with the kids where I was more comfortable.

Tuesday morning I picked up some bundt cake and delivered to one of my young women for her birthday. Then that afternoon we met up some friends at the park. The weather was perfect for a park day. The kids had fun while it lasted but everybody took off pretty early which was kind of lame. I was hoping to kill more time there. But one of my friends messaged me that evening, thanking me for planning it and that made me feel good. Sometimes I get tired of being the planner so I needed that reassurement that it's worth it. 

That evening Lucy got to go kayaking for Activity Days. I think the kayak was a little much for her, she said it was a bit of a struggle and the leaders ended up having her come back in their duoble kayak. 

Wedneday we were supposed to go to Dow Gardens with the Mays but they flaked out on us. Their eldest had hurt his ankle and wasn't up for lots of walking. So instead I took their daughter, Andrea, and our neighbor, Jacob and went on my own with 6 kids. It was a 2 hour drive which felt long,because I had the start of a headache. But the garden itself was mostly fun, just sometimes difficult managing 6 hyped up kids. The walk to the tree canopy walk was really pretty and the kids kept insisting on taking pics. This is just a small portion of the pics. The first pic shows the cool stained glass flowers that they had throughout the garden.

The tree canopy walk was really cool but Penny found it a bit nerve wracking. She wanted nothing to do with the lookout that had a see through barrier and floor. She did get brave and go out on the cargo rope net. There was also this part with a very thin rope bridge that went up to a higher loft. She did not brave that one out but Lucy did. We got stuck up there for a bit because there was a little girl with shaky legs that did not want to go back down and her grandma was not coming to get her. I finally helped coax her but oh those shaky legs.  

After the canopy walk we ate some lunch and played on the playground. It was a cool one and the kids really enjoyed it. The big kids had some game going that consisted of frequent visits to the tunnel pictured below.

We finished off Dow Gardens with a walk through their children's garden. It wasn't super exciting but it did have a lot of these pretty creepy scarecrows. The girls had to take a picture by the one that was wearing a shirt that Lucy used to have. And Andrea and Ben had to take a picture with the Pokemon one.

On the drive back we stopped to get slushies and I got a lot of raised eyebrows as my big crew all filled up their cups.

That night I was pooped but my day was not over. I still had a young women's activity in my backyard. I ended up being the only leader there. The girls ended up being crazy. The younger ones insisted on running after an ice cream truck and screaming and burning marshmallows and making crazy marshmallow messes. The girls also attempted to talk about lesbian barbies in a barbie movie and pronoun choices. I had to try to steer conversation away because I just didn't find these topics super appropriate for a yw's activity. Then at the end the girls all ran into my house and started rooting through my fridge. Um no. It is seeming more likely that Tyler and I will actually get to be seminary teachers together so after that night, that seems like a welcome relief. Tired, older teenagers instead of hyped up younger ones ;)

Thursday I invited friends to our beach and spent the whole afternoon there. It was perfection, I had really missed those long beach days with friends. The kids had a blast with all their buddies there and I had a blast with all mine.

Thursday night I went to visit one of my yw. I brought along the class president, hoping she would bond some with this girl but she did not. It was mostly me talking and trying to bring them together in conversation and failing. It was disappointing.

Friday I watched my friend's crazy kids again which was not a great choice. They are just so difficult and my hormones are a little out of whack so it was a bad mix. When they finally left I was trying to clean house but then my kids were fighting. I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated so I ditched cleaning and went to run a couple errands. While I was out errand running my new friend, Grace, sent me a text inviting my 3 youngers over. It was an answer to a prayer. I am so grateful she took them so I could regain my sanity. Quite honestly, I can't remember the last time someone offered to host my kids and it just really made my day.

Saturday morning the girls informed me that they think Penny's "Penny the Elephant doll" is alive. All because Penny had left her downstairs and somehow she had gotten into her bed. Maybe that had something to do with me cleaning the house ;)?

This week I also discovered that while Lucy does not like chick flicks, Penny most certainly does.I was watching one while doing the dishes and Penny started watching over my shoulder and making comments and smiling real wide when the couple kissed in the end. I am glad I have someone to watch these shows with me.

School Ends, Strawberries, Irish Jig

 As I mentioned in my last post, we went on a triple date with the May's and Bloomfield's last Saturday. I was kind of cranky that day because Tyler hadn't installed my new stove and I was worried this kayaking would be more strenous than relaxing and when we got there it was soooo peopley that I was really starting to sour. BUT it ended up being a good time. I had some fun chats with my friends and the paddling wasn't too exhausting- although I still would prefer to just float in the middle of a lake ;)

Monday we finally had our family pictures. After the stress of trying to coordinate outfits for all of us, I was sort of just ready to get it done. Of course there was rain in the forecast for the exact time we were supposed to have them, that just seems to be my luck. Thankfully she was able to do them earlier so I rushed to get us all ready. My friend Melissa was nice enough to do my hair and Lucy and Penny's hair. While we were there Penny started scratching at her face and I thought maybe she had gotten some hairspray on it. I went to wipe it off with a wet paper towel and noticed she had white spots, hives, amongst the red. She had been cuddling with their cat earlier and apparently had an allergic reaction. Thankfully Melissa had Benadryl and it mostly cleared it up before the pictures. So we rushed to Milford for pictures and got them all done just as the rain poured down. We got back to our car soaking wet but I was so grateful that everything worked out. Now I just have to wait impatiently to see them.

Tuesday I had my appointment with the obgyn. On the way there I had an anxiety attack, just remembering all the hard things from last year. I felt like I was going to puke and I just wanted to sob and I was just basically overwhelmed with feelings. Thankfully I was able to calm myself and go in. Not so thankfully, they told me I would have an hour wait. I quickly sent my friend Caroline a text asking for memes to help distract and she provided. It helped. The blessing in it all was I got the good doctor and she sat with me and talked with me for a long while. I was able to share all my concerns and she is humoring me and doing blood work and having me get an ultrasound so we can verify that everything is ok. She also recommended I see a counselor so apparently my crazy is showing. It took me like 5 months to make this appointment so it could be awhile before I even attempt to see a counselor but it's probably a good idea.

Tuesday afternoon I had Etta and Reggie over(they are 2 of the 3 kids from the family that just moved into the Ward). I had them for a few hours so their parents could work on unpacking the house. Reggie fit in great with Ben and they had a blast. Etta didn't really have a buddy so I was her entertainer. We colored for awhile and then when she got bored of me, she played the Nintendo Switch for a bit. She seemed fairly mature for her age until she started playing Mario Kart, lol. Definitely a typical 11 year old but she will fit in just fine with our yw.

Tuesday evening I was invited to a puzzle party at Amy's house (she is the wife of our new stake president). It was mostly fun. There was a lady there that lost her daughter to suicide last year and she is struggling and sometimes makes comments that are hard to know how to respond to. She, like me, probably needs some counseling. Life is hard. Besides that I put in a word that I would love to be seminary teacher WITH Tyler. Maybe she'll say something to her husband and that will help it happen ;) But Bishop is considering both of us again, so maybe just maybe...we shall see how it all pans out.

Wednesday we finished up homeschooling and that feels like quite the feat. It's been a LONG year and I must be crazy to subject myself to another year with them home but hopefully this hybrid school is the right mix. I am so grateful that now I can put away my teacher hat and just be a mom for the next few months. 

That afternoon we went to the beach and it was so nice. The mom of the triplets ended up being there, as well as some moms she knows and I was able to converse with grown ups while the kids played. Well all the kids but Steven. He has apparently outgrown the beach and would rather just stay home. Lame.

Wednesday night we had a swim party at the Hines home for our YW's activity. It was sort of exhausting. I was trying to help Etta feel included and so that involved trying to get them all to play games. We eventually landed on doing challenges (Funniest dive, coolest slide...) and they seemed to have fun with that. I felt like I really had to be "on" and woof, that is hard. But none of the girls wanted to leave so the activity was definitely a success.

Thursday morning we went and picked strawberries. Penny and I are the only ones that eat them so we didn't get very many. Lucy made lots of grossed out faces at the strawberries and Steven was most focused on finding the strawberries that looked the weirdest. After a quick pick session we got some candy sticks and kettlecorn from the market and headed home. It was a nice little outing.

Thursday night Caroline invited me and Ben to Andrea's Irish dancing concert. We carpooled with Caroline. Andrea had to be dropped off early and it was pretty far out there so we grabbed a bite to eat and walked around the city of Canton for a bit. The dancing itself was quite interesting. There were some crazy wigs and major sparkly costumes out there. The youngest crew was the cutest, they had no idea what they were doing and were so fun to watch. I think Ben had fun just getting this special outing and enjoyed seeing his friend dance a jig.

Friday our neighborhood had an end of school year party at our beach and the May's came with us. Their were so many people and lots of naughty older kids so we didn't last too long. I like beach days that aren't so peopley. 

Saturday morning Steven and I went and helped make blankets for his friend's Eagle Project and then afterwards we had an eye appointment. We both got our eyes dilated which is always fun...but I am not sure his eyse were affected as mine because the light didn't seem to bother him as much afterwards. He got new glasses which basically look like his old ones. He is not very exciting. When we got back from that, I worked with him on his lesson he has to teach the Deacons tomorrow. It's on pornography which is a pretty awkward thing for a 13 year old boy to teach but I think he'll be ok.