Busy and fun times!

Last Thursday I dropped off Jay at school at 9:00. At 9:20 I got a call that he had a fever and I needed to come pick him up. Kids have to be fever free for at least 24 hours before they can return to school, so that meant we were done for the week. Jay was acting a bit cranky before school, but didn't seem sick. I was surprised, and honestly disappointed because Matthew had Friday off and I wanted a few hours with just him. However, Jay did take a big nap almost as soon as I brought him home. I never measured a temperature, but he didn't want to eat and he took a long morning nap and a short afternoon nap. I think the sleep helped him feel better, because by afternoon he was mostly at full strength! Also notable, Hugh has learned how to squeeze his fingers into the gap of our screen door and the frame and open it. He loves outside and is determined to get there. 

Hugh making his exit

Friday was Matthew's first day off since Christmas time, and it was a much needed break for all of us! I had a whole list of yardwork for us to do, but it rained and snowed all weekend. Lucky for me, I had come up with an indoor to-do list as well. Matthew replaced the garage door lights, dusted our very high ceiling fan, and installed new blinds on our upper window. I got these cellular shades (aka blinds) last year for free. Our shades on our lower window broke, and the warranty covered a replacement. Well, they ordered the wrong style and because they are custom they can't take them back. I was thrilled and have been considering selling them to someone with my floor plan and making some money. I realized throughout the past year, I should really utilize them myself as a blessing from Heavenly Father. Those window let all the direct morning sun in, and with the shade, we'll be better able to insulate our house during the summer! Matthew did all the hanging by himself and I was very grateful and impressed! He's becoming more and more of a handy-man, I am proud of him for continuing to try things out of his comfort zone. 

Daddy and his helpers

He also did some deep cleaning of the window sill while he was up there.

This was also a week of many social gatherings, and by the last one I was social-ed out. It kicked off with a girls night, snacking and chatting. I was amazed at the difference between this gathering and when I talked with my sisters right after it on a video call. At the girls night, I almost felt invisible. I don't know if anyone really noticed when I left, other than that I took the puppy chow with me. Then, when video chatting with my sisters, I felt seen and loved. Oma always said, "sisters are more important than friends." And, that statement is still as true as ever for me. 

The next night was a baby shower for a gal I don't know super well. I don't know if she even knows me, but I wanted to support her and the ladies throwing it. I have been very grateful for supporters of the showers I have thrown. The snacks were awesome, and I won a prize for guessing the right mixtures of baby foods by smelling. I got 10 out of 17 correct and the next closest person was 8. The snow had fallen during the shower, and I was grateful I left at the same time as some other sisters so I knew it was slippery and I also could help some of the sisters clear their cars for their drive home. I made some mini gluten-free cupcakes and they turned out very yummy and cute. 

Cupcakes!

Saturday was a Stake day of events. In the morning, I attended a Primary breakfast. It was an appreciation breakfast honoring all the teachers, leaders, and people who serve in Primary. I almost didn't go, because I felt a bit like an imposter since I was already released. I actually really enjoyed it though! I got to visit with several of our Primary teachers and the Stake Primary leaders. I have grown to love and appreciate all of them over the past few years! In between things, I played in the snow with the boys and Matthew joined us for a bit. I recommended Matthew try the big hill with Jay, and they tumbled down and had a rough trip back up. I was laughing, while also feeling bad I recommended it and it went so poorly. Jay and I did just fine earlier, so the snow must have become too sparse. They have been great examples to me of faith and dedication to Heavenly Father. In the afternoon, we went to the temple with our Stake. Jack and Lindsay watched the boys for us, which allowed us to truly enjoy our time and not feel rushed. We were greeted by our Stake Presidency and their wives on our way into the temple, and our session was totally full which rarely happens. I knew many of the ordinance workers and those attending our session. It was a special feeling to be in the temple with so many people I knew. I didn't anticipate feeling the joy I did. I was almost giddy with joy and felt full of Heavenly Father's love for me and everyone there. I also felt the gift of perspective, eternal perspective. Right now it's hard to think of life after toddler stage, where they can both poop in the potty and tell me what they need or want. But, in the temple on Saturday, I got a glimpse of what the future may hold for our boys and it filled my soul with joy. After our temple session, we went to Red Robin with Anna and Ethan Jackson. I cashed in my free birthday burger and we enjoyed delicious burgers! The boys did well for the Bryce's, and Jay was in the same pants and underwear he was when we left him! 

Snow fun! (Jay)

Hugh still loved swinging in the snowsuit

Our Relief Society threw a tea party this past week. It was of course, not tea, but lemonade, hot chocolate, or herbal tea. I was a bit grouchy about going, but I enjoyed myself once I was there. I got to sit by some ladies I don't usually interact with, which was good. We also learned how to do some water color painting from my friend Taylor. I was pleased with how it turned out! 

My flowers

A very humbling moment for me this week was when I received a call from a dear sister I minister to, Rita. I have ministered to her since I moved into the ward, and over time we've created a great relationship. She's a sweet woman, and I've seen her come back to activity in the church after many years of not coming and she even went through the temple a few months back. It was 7:30 in the morning when my phone rang, so I was a bit concerned when I picked up. She said she had a question for me, and continued to say I hadn't talked to her for a while at church and she was calling to ask if she had done anything to offend me. My heart sank, and tears still fill my eyes when I think about that moment. Of course, Rita had done nothing to offend me! I assured her of that, and apologized for making her feeling that way. I am so grateful she called! She was willing to ask, willing to reach out to clear the air instead of dwelling on these hard feelings. Her question helped remind me of the importance of reaching out to others one by one. That's how Jesus served and spent most of His time in His mortal ministry. I shouldn't let the busyness of my callings take away from reaching out to the one person who needs to be seen, heard, or loved. I figured she was well enough integrated into the ward, I didn't need to be quite as assertive in reaching out, and I was wrong. I am going to try to do better, to be present for those around me and to see the needs of others even when I may seem to have a lot to take care of. 

We're making many trips to the airport this week. I picked up Oma and Papa at 10 PM on Tuesday evening, then Matthew took them and the Bryce's back to the airport at 4:30 AM. Matthew is on his way to meet with the German consulate so, he's parking at the airport so we don't have to do even more runs. I am grateful we live as close as we do, and that we can help family. We were exceptionally tired this morning, but we're working through it. 

We had our next inspection, insulation! We passed with flying colors and I am excited for drywall to be starting. Wayne is hopeful we'll finish by the time we go to Germany, but it's possible we may not. It's fun to see everything come together! 

Bottom of the stairs

Main room

Bathroom

Office/Bedroom

Jay has been getting better at building his trains. He loves driving through tunnels. And, Hugh continues to be a climber, keeping me on my toes.

Jay with his lego train

Hugh climbing onto the table at the chiropractor

Another Week of Spring

I'm going to start with the basement update. Last week I mentioned we had purchase a bathtub, and when Uncle went to open it up and install, it was cracked. We took it back to Lowe's and returned it. They had two in stock, so we went to check it out. Both tubs were cracked in the exact same spot! The closest one we could find in stock was about 15 minutes away from Jay's chiropractor. We decided to go check it out that afternoon since Jay had an appointment anyways. When we got there, I couldn't find any on the shelf and neither could the store manager. With that, I determined we should return the shower walls and find another tub set completely. Friday morning, I put Hugh down and Uncle and I went to Lowe's. We had quite the adventure getting the shower walls back up the stairs, but we did and Uncle strapped them to the top of his van. Lowe's had one tub in stock that I thought I may want, even at the couple hundred dollars more price tag. Uncle and I opened up the boxes for the tub and it looked great! They had ONE set of matching shower walls, and when we opened those they looked good too! It was truly a miracle! I had prayed that morning we'd be able to find what we needed, and I know Heavenly Father was watching out for us. Tuesday we had our first inspection, they looked at the rough plumbing, electric, HVAC, and framing. We passed with flying colors! Uncle has to do a short term project at another house the rest of this week, so we're on a short pause. Next steps are insulation, followed with an insulation inspection, and then drywall! 

View from the office

Bathroom

Family Room

Furnace Room

For our date, I made my first batch of ice cream in my ice cream maker. It turned out soooo yummy! I don't think I waited quite long enough for it to freeze on day one, but the leftovers on Saturday were to die for. It was more of a vanilla custard and I mixed in peanut butter cups. We both loved it! 

Over the weekend, we were able to sneak in a few family walks after dinner. Matthew has been so good this busy season about disconnecting on his dinner breaks and giving us the best energy and life for a few moments. He'll chase the boys, give them rides, and make them laugh like no one else can. Jay is still 100% a daddy's boy and Hugh is still mostly a mama's boy but daddy is certainly close in the running. 

On Sunday, I attended my last ward council and was released after Primary during Sacrament meeting. I have loved serving, and it truly came at a time in my life when I needed the extra purpose, focus, and responsibility. When I accepted the calling, I was working part-time for Lockheed and now I've been retired for two years. I have grown so much, and have learned so much about myself. I love leading, it's one of the aspects of work I miss the most and I was grateful for a chance to lead in Primary for this time. That evening we had to divide and attend our respective family chats. Matthew called into the Blaylock's and I called in the Bryce's. I am grateful for technology that enables us to talk with each other over video, it's such a blessing! I love video calling people. It really does help me feel like I'm actually visiting and more connected. 

General updates on the boys, Hugh figured out how to open the back screen door. If you don't have it all the way closed, he'll wiggle his fingers in and open it. He hears the back door open and he's there before you know it. We've been eating strawberries every dinner this week because they were on sale, and they might be Hugh's favorite food. Hugh is also walking more and more, probably about 50%! Jay got some new sandals, they are a little too big, but he can't stop wearing them. He loves them, so we'll keep them and he'll be wearing them for a long time. 

Hugh wasn't peddling, but he loved walking around holding one handle and walking in circles. When I finally put him on the bike, he was sooo happy!

Hugh making his exit

Jay is looking more and more grown, this hat and his sandals must be adding to it! 

Jay and his new sandals! 

Matthew is pre-approved for his visa, so he'll be flying to LA next week to meet with the German consulate and then when we get his visa we'll be scheduling our flights! 

General Conference & Miracles

Friday Mike and Jenna invited us to go to their house for dinner and cousin play time since Steph and Ken were still in town. Matthew had to work Friday evening, so I loaded up the boys after nap time and went down to Parker. Traffic was slow, but Oma and Papa happened to be driving through Phoenix traffic at the same time so I had good company. Jay was so excited, I told him we were going to Uncle Mike and Aunt Jenna's house, and he immediately started to call it "Tanner's House." The whole way down he talked about Tanner's house. I think it came from going to Tanner's game a couple weeks ago, but he was so excited. Jay did great playing with cousins, and mostly staying in places he was allowed. Once I went downstairs when it was just Caden and Jay. Caden was watching a basketball game and I asked where Jay was, and Caden casually said he was in the food storage room and he had just checked on Jay and he was fine. I laughed, and asked Jay to come out and I don't think he went back in. Hugh eventually warmed up to the crowd and latched onto Cambrie. Cambrie took him for most of the evening. Overall, it was a great break for me, and so fun to be with family and have the boys mostly taken care of.  

General Conference weekend is always a highlight! Katey and the kids came over Saturday and watched with us. Matthew and Jason had to work, so it was mom's and kids. I heard some of some of the talks, and I am very grateful I can listen to them all again. I did love the reminders about prayer, and how we should pray aloud whenever possible and pray to grow, show, and know. We cooked pizza for dinner and got all the baths done before the evening session started, which was a big win. Sunday was a little calmer, especially the afternoon session. Plus Matthew got to join us! The weather was much warmer, so we got to go for a walk between sessions and the boys took good naps which allowed us to mostly focus on the afternoon session. One of my big take-aways was the need to have daily spiritual nourishment. It takes a lifetime of days of building faith in Christ, to be strong and faithful. Sunday evening we joined everyone at Jack and Lindsay's house for Easter dinner 2.0. The Merrill's were sick for the first Easter dinner on Easter, so we were glad we got to join for the following week. Such yummy food and ending the Conference weekend with family was the cherry on top! 

Matthew and Jay

Our basement is coming along! HVAC is done, electric is starting, and soon plumbing. We bought our bathtub this week and shower walls. Uncle came and helped us at Lowe's which I needed more than I realized! I had Jay, and he was being his very curious self and hard to contain...mostly because I didn't get a basket with a functioning clip. Uncle helped us drive the carts, talk to the workers, load the tub into our van, and tied the bathtub walls to the top of his van and brought them back for us. Jay talked all day about how Uncle helped. We should be ready for our first inspections soon! 

I missed pickleball on Monday due to appointments, but got to play today outside. It's a great way to spend the morning, and I feel so grateful we have courts nearby and that Hugh is a super trooper and doesn't seem to mind being locked in the court with some toys for an hour. I also went for a run one day, which was very tough but good at the same time. When I do my indoor workouts, Jay and Hugh always want "crackers" which are cheerios and craisins. It keeps them happy and it allows me to have some personal time to take care of myself. 

Post run picture

Eating their crackers! 

I mailed some Germany paperwork this week, the address had a word that was at least 20 characters long. I had to copy it down a couple times and I sure hope I wrote the address correctly so it can get to the right person and place in Germany! We also got our apartment locked down. It's about 300 square feet, with one bedroom, one sofa bed, and a baby bed for Hugh. Needless to say, we're going to be going on lots of adventures outside of the house every day that it's possible. Plus, we won't have room for toys or extra things, so we'll need to go out anyways.

The boys have been a little extra fun recently, they both LOVE being outside! Hugh has figured out how to do the slide inside and loves climbing onto the couch anyway he can! Swings are the best part of the park and our backyard playset. We walk to school whenever we can, and sometimes I snag a picture. This week Jay had crazy hair day, so we definitely needed a picture. 

Swings in our backyard

Hugh and Jay (with crazy hair)

Hugh resting on the couch after climbing

Wrapping up the week with a couple miracles and tender mercies that have shown me that Heavenly Father is keenly aware of me and my family. First, Michelle Soderberg, my cousin, got invited to perform at BYU Women's Conference in May! She's an amazingly talented musician and her music is inspiring. She has inspired me, and I am so excited she gets to go share her music and testimony to such a large audience! 

The last miracle of the week I'll share is that we got Jay's appointment scheduled for a neuro-psych evaluation for the last week of May! We got on the waiting list in early February after his yearly check up with the doctor, and they told us they were two to three months out on scheduling. I filled out the paperwork and have been waiting to receive a call to schedule. I have felt over the past few days I should call, so I finally did this morning explaining I wanted to understand where Jay was on the waitlist. She looked up his chart and scheduled us for the next available which is May 29th. We will be able to do it before Germany, and I am so grateful! It's a little overwhelming and scary to think of Jay going through this three hour evaluation and what we may or may not learn from it. We feel it's the right thing to do, and I hope we can get some answers on how we can help Jay learn and grow in ways that will work for him! I found this quote right after I scheduled the appointment, and I felt like it was a little miracle and message directly for me from Heavenly Father. 

Spring Break Part 2, Easter, and Birthday!

One of the best parts of spring break was being able to go to the temple! Katey was willing to do a kid swap with me so we could both do initiatory. I dropped the boys off at her house, then went up to the temple. It was peaceful, beautiful, and I was so grateful to be there. Having a few moments to myself, dedicated in service was healing. Once I finished, Katey went and I took the kids to a nearby park. This park is big and so fun! In our last ten minutes there, Jay got brave enough to climb up the big tower and go down the big slide! His face lit up with pride as he got to the bottom, and he was ready to go again! He also did amazing on the zipline. When we've gone in the past, he wasn't focused enough to hold onto the rope and not fall off. He loved it, and did pretty good waiting in line. Trying to keep eyes on all five kids, Kade, Abby, Hope, Jay, and Hugh was tricky at such a big park. Hugh stayed in the stroller for a while, and that helped. Kade and Abby mostly stayed together, but Jay, Hope, and Hugh were almost always going in different directions. Once the park became more crowded, I rounded up the kids...which took at least 10 minutes! I was very relieved when Katey called and said she was on her way. Extra eyes and hands were needed! We had a great picnic lunch, played a little more, and headed home. 

Can you see him climbing up there? Being so brave, go Jay!

So much happiness!

Hugh, embracing getting dirty and loving being outside. He loves the outdoors as much as Jay!

Friday I had part II of watching the little boy and girl I watched earlier in the week. Luckily, I just had the little girl in the morning and then we went and got Owen from school. We played at the park until their Grandpa came and picked them up. I prayed for the good weather so we wouldn't have to spend any time at home. Jay's highlight of the day was when Uncle (our contractor and Jay's primary teacher) came with his truck with more lumber for the basement. Jay was fascinated. He would run to the truck, watch Uncle unload, then run back and watch him dump it in the window well, run back to the truck saying, "more, more!" Once Uncle was all done unloading, he was nice enough to let Jay play in the truck bed, opening and closing the cover. Uncle then let him ride in the front seat as he parked on the street. I can vouch for Jay that he loved every second of it.

Saturday we were able to watch Elisse's baptism on zoom. Elisse was so aware of Jay when we visited OK over Thanksgiving. She's a sweet girl, and we're proud of her for choosing to follow Jesus! Jay helped me make our treats for Easter dinner, they turned out so well! And, Hugh is now a master of stairs. He does so well going up and down, and I am very grateful! 

Bunny rice krispy treats!

Our stair master at work

Sunday was Easter! For my whole life I thought my eighth birthday was on Easter, but this year I actually looked it up, and my birthday has never been on Easter. Either way, I love Easter! Springtime is my favorite, it leads into summer and there are so many good days. Spring brings new life, and so does our celebration of Jesus's Resurrection! He lives again, and I loved celebrating Him this year. The church put out a study guide that really helped me every day think about the Savior a little more. The Savior's resurrection was critical in God's plan, as was the Savior's atoning sacrifice made in Gethsemane and on the cross. I know Jesus died for me, suffered for me, and lives again for me. Because of Him, I can have strength, power, light, joy, and eternal life with my family. We did a little Easter lesson during lunch, and Jay and Hugh did a great job listening. Church was beautiful, and Jay went up with the primary children to sing and he did a great job not touching anyone and standing reverently. Jay was all about the egg hunting this year, he thought the baskets were fun, but really the magic was in the egg hunting. He found some very well hidden eggs in the beginning of his search. We enjoyed an egg hunt again at Andrew and Jessica's and Jay was tickled. We had a wonderful Easter dinner with Andrew, Jessica, Steph, Ken, and their families. 

This was pretty much Hugh's first experience with candy, and he couldn't get enough!

Here are some pictures Ken took of the boys during the hunt and dinner: 

It took all my efforts to get Jay to smile for photos and look at the camera. I finally started to get some smiles when I asked him about his girlfriend. He quickly informed me it was Amy and "Amy cute." Then, I asked him about Kenna, and he said, "Kenna hot." I laughed and laughed, he continued to say Kenna hot, or Amy hot all day long. Usually it was Kenna, and we've been working on teaching him to only say cute, but it was so funny! We caught it on video in the car on the way down to Highlands Ranch, such an innocent little boy and so funny!

Monday the Armstrongs came to visit. We played pickleball and went to the chiropractor, and then got to play with cousins for a couple hours at our house. It rained Sunday evening, but mid-day on Monday it was mostly sunny and we sat outside, picnicked, and enjoyed visiting. The kids loved playing on the train track, driving bikes, playing on the swings, and drawing everywhere with chalk. I was very happy Steph was willing to drive up and spend a couple hours with us! Someday Henry and Jay are going to be buds, and they'll run around making mischief and it'll be fun to see!

Happy 32 to me! For some reason 32 sounds a lot older than 31, but the good thing is Katey and Kara don't seem that old and we're all 32, 33, and 34 right now. Matthew has been very busy with work, so I struggled a bit when thinking about celebrating my birthday. The past couple years it's been on a weekend or very close to a weekend, so he's been able to make my cake, cook dinner, and do all the things to help make it a very special day. I knew this one would look different, and it was hard for me to feel happy about it and want to celebrate. I eventually decided I still wanted it to be a very happy day, so I looked up all the places I could go and get free treats and food for birthdays. I determined I'd make my own traditional double layer chocolate cake, and Matthew agreed he could do the decor on top. He made a windmill on top, signifying, energy I give to him and our boys, adventure because of my love for adventure, and because Germany might have windmills and this summer will certainly be a memorable one spent there. My cake overflowed in the oven, and made my house smell like burnt cake, but it still tasted fabulous. Matthew came home a little earlier from work, worked from home, and then we went to dinner at Wholly Stromboli. It was so yummy and I got so full! I could only eat a small slice of cake, there wasn't room for any more than that. I got an ice cream maker (woohoo!!), a cross-body bag, canning supplies, and a new spoontula. All of these I am so excited about, and feel very spoiled! What also made my birthday great was being able to talk to several of my most favorite people. It helped me feel like I wasn't quite alone, and I got to share the day with loved ones. My birthday was also Jay's first day back to school. He had a very rough day. I thought he would struggle, but it was even worse than I anticipated. I am grateful for his teacher's patience and willingness to help him improve. 

Jay and Hugh with me as I opened presents.

Hugh climbing and learning new skills, a great present for me :) 

M diligently decorating, after dinner before he returned to work. He said it was the best part of his day, I love him!

Amazing, right?! 

We put the kids to bed before cake so we could enjoy a few minutes of 1:1 time before M had to go back to work. 

Today was our first day back playing pickleball outside! It was gorgeous, such a beautiful morning, full of sunshine and happiness. It was good for my soul, mind, and heart to be outside, and I think it was good for Hugh too! We played again at the park after school so Jay could enjoy the good weather too. I brought my birthday cake to share with my friends. I had told them about this cake a while ago, so I was excited to share a bit with them. They LOVED it, said it was the best chocolate cake they've ever had....which of course is true. That evening we got to watch Tia perform in her school talent show! She did amazing! She had her piano piece memorized and did a beautiful job performing. She didn't even seem nervous! The boys got restless and Hugh bonked his nose on the platform in front of us and got a bloody nose, so we didn't last the whole show. We enjoyed dinner at Katey's and drove home to sleep here. 

The boys climbing at the park!

Last but not least, basement update. Framing complete! 

This is our furnace room, on the backside is a closet off the hallway.

Main room, with a large closet for food storage and hall closet. 

The view from the bedroom, and you can see the pipe for the bathroom there too.