saturday geeez

it's 10pm saturday night.
we have worked ourselves to the bone.
matt is grabbing some must have groceries.
i'll take a second to blog. at least i get to sit down.

we had our last soccer game this morning, hallelujah.
we lost every. single. game.
we scored one goal the entire spring/fall season.
i am so glad to be done.
it was fun to be on the same team with josie.
the girls had a little fun. but not a lotta fun.
not sure what the problem was. all the other teams seemed to be able to score a goal or 10.
we won't be signing up for soccer again any time soon.

i told the girls if they wanted to hustle and get their chores done, i would take them down to the library festivities for an hour.
they got their jobs done, we put the baby down for her nap and headed out.
we did a big DI drop on our way.
i've had a big bee in my bonnet to clear the clutter.
it was hot and sunny down at the city park.
they jumped in a few bounce houses.
then we stood in a long line to get their faces painted.
there's something magical about having your face painted. at least to a little girl.
we got our summer reading pamphlets and picked up our books on hold.

dad and baby were hanging out when we got home with wienerschnitzel for lunch.
matt had gotten a lot done around the yard.
the girls played and we continued to work and clean and tidy.

very glad that tomorrow is the sabbath and that gives us a chance to give it all a rest.

6 june 2015

last week..as far as i can remember

monday

i decided to take baby in to the doc again to see about her ears.
sure enough.
double ear infections this time.
we started her on another antibiotic and hopefully this will help them drain.
she's still been a sweetheart and really hasn't acted sick.
i could just tell she was off.

we had kimball and ruby over to play that afternoon/evening.
ruby talks so cute and the other kids played great together.
we took a walk and the kids rode scooters.
it seemed liked a big group to herd around the block.
5 kids and a dog, but it's still less than what janet has!

tuesday

we drove matt to work (first time since we've been a one car family).
we stopped by the goodwill on the way home and found a few treasures.
this cute gold planter reminds me of my grandma sandberg.
as do red geraniums.

i decided to bring the dog along for school pickup. 

double stroller and a big dog (who is practically perfect except when on walks). 

annie walked him home, making the trip home much easier.

we got my mother's day flower planted that evening.
matt planted the garden too.
the majority of the time was spent helping lucy put her tiny gardening gloves on.

wednesday

i found my project mojo (i've missed it so) and whipped out a can of black paint and painted the interior of my front door. i let lucy help me for 30 long seconds. i'm just really not easy going enough to let her "help" too long. i put on a paw patrol for lu to watch downstairs by me and painted quickly while baby napped. it looks great. i'm very happy with it.

annie has been talking about the book fair for over a week.
she's been counting her coins and scrounging from grandparents.
her dad told her she could buy something with her money. nearly $5.
when we met up with annie after school she had a huge smile on her face...she knew we were headed to the book fair and she's been waiting for this moment to come.
she couldn't get her hands on a kitten poster fast enough.
lucky for us it was a buy one get one free.
kitten posters for everyone!

thursday

i tackled the french doors with my black paint too.
they look so sleek.
i really like them.
and they needed a paint job.
i'm so happy to have the project bug back!

thursday afternoon bryson came over to play while his mom is on bed rest.
he looks like a little dennis the menace but was a little sweetheart.

friday

annie rode to and from school solo. she thinks it's very cool.
lucy and i made chocolate chip cookies to share with the allen kids that afternoon.
annie had art lessons with aunt susan.
i dropped off the girls to allens for a cousin sleepover. they were so excited.
baby and i did a little tj maxx shopping and i nursed her in the dressing room.
i got a text from matt. he was home early. i raced home.
he had ridden home from work and needed a short nap before date night.
i swung baby in the baby swing and warmed up leftovers for dinner.
then we hiked ensign peak with the bubs. it was lovely.

saturday

photo shoot. bridals for lisa. jordan river temple and memory grove.

matt held down the fort at home.

yard work. whacked down the lilac bushes. matt stuffed the green dumpster beyond capacity. by about 300%.

we had a late dinner at moms. chili frito salads. 

grandpa swung the girls on the tire swing.

matt and the girls got in the hot tub.

quick bath for the girls. washed and brushed hair.

annie exclaimed, "nothing's better than grandparents!" while eating a ice cream cone in grandma's kitchen.

my stilts! that dad made for me years and years ago. 

with my name burned into the wood down the sides. 

the girls thought they were awesome. 

i thought it was awesome that i could walk on them all the way down the hall and back. 

sunday

annie had lucy have been packing their own church bag lately. 

i wasn't expecting the binocs to come out! ha!

sarah arranged for us to gather for dinner on sunday night. 

it was spontaneous and last minute but so fun. 

we all miss having a bateman sunday dinner. 

we vowed to do it more often...even with the parentals down south on the weekends.

josh looks creepy. and ben looks mad even though those two are often the life of the party.

rach had sick kids and couldn't make it. the kids played awesome together. 

bridger played in the sandbox for two solid hours.

bleeding hearts

we were given starts from tami crown last year for these beautiful flowers.

she was one of my most favorite young women leaders. 

tami was/is an absolute riot to be with. she's strong, loving and genuine. 

she lost a son the year i graduated from high school. 

i think about her and her son brad every october.

it's so special for me to have these gorgeous flowers blooming in my yard. 

they remind me of her positive influence and the plan of happiness.

saturday wrap-up

matt had his first camp last night as "the master" (as lucy calls it). i thought he would need/want my help to get ready with food and such, but mr. eagle scout did everything and got off without a problem.

kathy schow took the two older girls to the park with the other neighborhood kids with picnic dinners, so molls and i ran up to jordan landing for some shopping. i found a new outfit for me and a few things for moll doll.

we went through the drive thru at arctic circle for a treat once we were all back together. and then it was off to bed for most of us. the girls were tired and worn out.

i talked the girls into starting on annie's messy room on friday before they left to the park..so we wouldn't have such a big mess to clean on saturday. that helped as we had plenty of other household chores to do saturday. that huge laundry pile that was on the couch, and then moved to my bed and then moved again on top of the cedar chest FINALLY got folded and put away. the girls were quite helpful. i wanted the house to be sparkling clean and tidy when matt got home so he wouldn't have to worry about doing any housework.

i got cleaned up after my chores and in my new digs in hopes that i would be taken out...but after trying 4 sitters we decided to make it a family date. we had dinner at the bombay house. annie liked the naan bread and chicken masala. lucy ate a little but wasn't a huge fan. baby smacked her gums watching us eat and sat in a restaurant high chair for the first time. i gave her tiny bites of rice.

we wandered into the shoe carnival after dinner since it was right next door and the girls are desperate for shoes. it is a serious job to keep growing kids in clothes and shoes.

annie is still interested in the dang "twinkle toe" sketchers shoes...that some of her friends from school have. besides being way over priced and ugly, they are heavy and do not appear comfortable for play shoes. that place was no carnival. i'm fairly certain i won't ever go there again.

we ran over to ross. that was no picnic either. i did chuckle watching matt and annie together. she's not the most fun person to shop with or for right now. he was getting frustrated with her and i was enjoying having him experience a tiny bit of what i do to keep us all clothed. i was hoping he would give me some props for doing what i do...but he didn't and wouldn't-even when i asked for the pat on the back!

it really is a big job to keep growing kids in the right size and season of clothes. times by 3. and i do this on a very tight clothing budget. i think i do a pretty good job.

back at the homestead...matt worked on the sandbox and i wrestled the kids into bed.

spring has sprung

the girls and i spent time outside this morning, pulling weeds and cleaning dead leaves from the flower beds. it's so fun to see tulips and other flowers blooming. i wish i knew what i was doing with the flower beds. i'd like them raised in mounds with some bigger bushes...but i lack the know-how on pulling that off.

matt had the lawn aerated and fertilized on saturday. i hope it will green up! i'm grateful matt finds therapy in yard work. i enjoy it too and it feels good to have a nice looking yard.

lucy and i had a nice afternoon together. we played chutes and ladders then moved to the sofa to read our new library books. i could tell she was getting tired. i knew if we were in the car she would ask, "do i have time for a little nap?" and then she would instantly fall asleep. she doesn't nap that well at home. i suggested we take a little rest. she grabbed a pillow and blanket and made a little bed on the ottoman. i napped on the sofa next to her. i only needed a few minutes and woke up with a jolt wondering if the baby was crying. baby was still asleep when i went upstairs. quick! everyone is asleep...what do i do??!!

{i must have found something to do but i didn't finish this post...}

saturday

the day started with exciting news. baby waters arrived bright and early. our phones were blowing up with group texts about his debut. my camera and i get to meet him tomorrow.

i didn't get done what i'd hoped to around the house today. the bathrooms are still dirty. a few rooms did get vacuumed. the girls and i did go on a bike ride (my first ride in a long time). matt left with the scouts to pick up food for the food bank. he also took a long trip to DI and lowes. it felt like a normal work day with him gone so much.

the girls and matt are excited about building a playhouse/sandbox in the backyard. the plans he ordered came this week. he went out back to map it out. i went out and tried to envision the location and how it will look and figure out the best place for it to go. but basically after all my questions and indecisive-ness about it-i really just took the sail out of matt's ship about it. i didn't mean to. i'm just kind of a perfectionist when it comes to...permanent structures in the backyard.

i had hope that we would go out tonight. but neither of us rounded up a sitter (i sure wish we could do a babysitting swap thing). i never got cleaned up, which i'm sure added to my sour mood.

i left the house at 8:30 pm and set out for maceys to grab a few speciality items for our dessert for family dinner tomorrow. the van drove me to tj's instead. i browsed the store and left with a darling new kelly green purse/diaper bag. once i realized it was the exact amount left on my birthday gift card...i had no choice but to pick it up. retail therapy at its finest.

matt had the kids in bed and was cleaning the kitchen when i got home with my new bag and brownie goods. lucy came right down and perked up when i asked her if she wanted to help me do some late night baking. "course i do. i was hoping we could do some midnight baking." she dumped in all the ingredients and licked the bowl. she lives a grand life.

i'm thinking i'll soak in the tub. or just jump in bed. both sound tempting.

the jist

the good:

mom came up saturday afternoon and we bottled two batches of peaches from our tree. we also froze some and still have many more that weren't quite ready.

matt worked like a ninja on saturday doing all the yard work, picking apples off the tree and tearing out the bottom cabinets and concrete countertop in the garage to make room for his car. i could not believe all the work he accomplished. it looks great and there's so much more space now that he took those out. both cars were parked inside the garage this weekend.

i met up with mom and trev saturday evening to hear ali speak at her adult session of stake conference. she spoke about adversity and her experience with cassidy and her tumor. she did an incredible job and spoke so well and she looked so beautiful. she's amazing.

after having a super long sabbath day (we ditched stake conference), i took the kids on a walk. i left matt home to have some much needed alone time. we did "stations" per the girls request when we got home. we made cookies and did an art activity. that hour was the best hour of the entire day. i know it's because i was engaged and having fun with the kids instead of griping at them about their messy rooms or trying to carry on with things i wanted to do.

we had a nice visit with grandma and grandpa givan. baby molly was adorable for grandma. she fell asleep on her comfy shoulder then woke up to smile at her and talk with her. then she fell back asleep on her shoulder. i could tell grandma was loving it!

annie's loose tooth came out. one of the front ones. it's been loose for several weeks and tonight was the  night it came out. with the help of her father. she got $1 from the tooth fairy last night and has a gigantic hole in her smile.

i worked out twice last week. i walked/ran one night and did a video the next day.

the bad:

after the workout video i could barely walk. seriously. i've been hobbling ever since.

i've had a cold for 10 days now. blargh.

we ditched stake conference on sunday.

the two biggest branches broke off our peach tree last weekend. it was so heavy with fruit. we should have thinned it out better. we gathered all the fruit and will be able to use it all but waaaaaa!

my flip flops are missing. my new, comfy, good quality, $30 ones...that i replace every 7 years. they evaporated into thin air. that or a thief came in the night and that's the only thing they stole. i haven't seen my flip flops since before the baby was born. rats of nimh.

the ugly/funny:

lucy has new digs and owns cute clothes...but she dresses herself and puts together quite the combos.

sometimes the sabbath day seems lightyears long and everyone drives everyone crazy.

we have a gazillion fruit flies in the kitchen. they are so nasty and the apple cider vinegar trick is not doing a good enough job.

saturday & nectarines

saturday is a special day. it's the day dad is home and we're all in need of more dad time. it's also the day to get things done around the yard. in effort to please everyone (mostly me and the kids)...we made plans to ride the wiggle cars down "holiday hill." we left our chores behind and took off in the minivan. the girls had a blast riding down the hill. dad and lucy had several rides down before a wheel broke off. oops. we'd been warned of that happening.

our dad suggested we go swimming and we were all game. we came home and threw our suits on, i fed the baby and we loaded back up and headed for the kearns pool.

{"look mom i can back float"}

{watching people jump off the high platforms}

lucy pointed out, "that's weird that those boys are in their undies." (the water polo boys in their speedos).

annie went down the big slide several times. i even gave it a go twice while dad kept an eye on the babe in the stroller. we are big fans of the kearns pool even though matt and i were thee only people without tattoos. 

later that afternoon, we picked the nectarines from the tree. in the rain. the tree was so heavy with fruit and they seemed ready. we've shared them with family and friends but still have so many. having mature fruit trees in the yard is such a bonus.