First Pinewood Derby, Mother's Day, and Other Fun

It's been a busy week! We are getting so much closer to Germany, as we schedule things out we're beginning to realize it's very soon. One thing that needed to be taken care of was my dentist appointments. I was so sad I had a broken filling, I work very hard to keep my teeth clean. Luckily the filling appointment was fairly quick! Hugh stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. They told me he cried for about 30 seconds and then was just fine the rest of the time. Hugh's becoming quite the tease, he loves to tease Jay at the dinner table and me before diaper changes. And, while we were at Grandpa's he would walk towards Grandpa to give a hug then make a quick turn and run away giggling with all his might. He did it several times until I made him go all the way for a goodbye hug. On the way home, I stopped by a lady's house and bought a double jogging stroller for our time in Germany this summer. I have been worried about what to do, and am very grateful I was able to find this stroller used. It's normally very expensive, but it folds up much smaller than our other double stroller and should be something I can use even when I don't have Matthew there to help me. 

Friday was a fun day, too. I took Hugh with me to my friend Cassie's goodbye party. He was pretty nervous at the beginning, but once he warmed up he made friends with all the women. We had yummy food and a nice time visiting before we had to go get Jay. Cassie is a person that always saw me. We played pickleball a couple times together, but not much else. Whenever we sat in front of her at church, she was more than gracious to Jay, letting him search through her purse, play with her necklace or anything else she had. She would text me randomly asking how I was doing, cared about Jay and his growth, and was very kind. I will miss her! She truly taught me about love and service, and loving and serving the one. 

Katey and Jason came over for an escape room game night. We made some homemade ice cream with Reese's and Almond Joy mix-ins to kick off the evening. The escape room was tough! It took us about two hours to figure everything out and we had to ask for several hints. We got on a roll every now and then, and whenever we got a clue, we were soooo close to figuring it out. We enjoyed the time as adults and getting to work together on something fun! We will definitely miss them while we are away! 

Saturday was race day! Uncle helped us melt down fishing weights for Jay's car and Jay got to help me paint and then color it. He was very excited to color his car, and also learned that washable markers can be wiped off certain surfaces, so after he colored, he mostly wiped it off. Uncle thought he brought enough weights for both of our cars, but they were thin enough we had to get more creative. Uncle grabbed his plumbing torch from the basement and really enjoyed melting the weights for Jay. And, I weighed over 30 pennies with my car and later glued them on to weigh it down. Jay loved his car, and I was proud of mine as well. Jay doesn't take ownership of much, we've been trying to teach him about that for a long time. He really caught on about his derby car. He loved watching it race, was soooo excited to see it race down the track! The tournament was double elimination. Jay and I had to race against each other to see who would get a chance to race for second place. Jay's car beat mine! I thought it was so fun we had a showdown race between our two cars. Jay then lost to the second place car. Both the number one and two cars were tried and true in previous derby races. One car was built by someone's grandpa who has a dedicated derby car making room, and another car had won the Elder's Quorum race a few weeks before. I was sooooo excited we did so well! I don't think he has any idea of how well he did, but he sure loves his "trophy". He's been carrying that cup around all week and hugged it the whole ride home. 

Jay inspecting the paint job!

Uncle melting his fishing weights

The penny car in the making

Completed cars before Jay colored his

He did so good coloring! 

Jay and I racing each other!

Jay just after his car got eliminated

Jay, with his car, Third Place Ribbon and prize

Me, with my 4th place car

The basement is taking shape more every week, and it's so fun! Saturday we went paint shopping, bathroom floor shopping, and backsplash shopping. The paint we wanted wasn't in a 5 gallon bucket at our Home Depot, so we had to drive to a further one. I loved having M there to look at the carpet with the paint, and the carpet with the bathroom flooring. These final touches feel like big decisions and I was grateful he had time to help me figure them out and wrangle the boys. I found tile on Monday at Floor and Decor that I think will be very pretty for the vanity backsplash. Jay is so happy every day when he sees Uncle's van. On Monday, Uncle was clearing out all the trash and scrap wood from the basement and taking it out of the window well to his truck. Jay discovered Uncle was outside and wanted to help sooooo bad. Uncle was more than happy to have a little helper and Jay ran back and forth and back and forth until all the wood scraps were loaded. Then, he got to ride in the truck when they parked it on the road. As they walked up, they were both in the tattered jean shorts, t-shirts, matching hats, and hightop shoes. It was very cute, I wish I had gotten a picture! 

Tile and mirror

Entry way

Main Room

Bathroom

Office

Sunday was Mother's Day! Matthew did all he could to lighten my load, including getting up early with the boys. I love being a mom and feel so grateful for Heavenly Father's trust in me with two of His chosen sons. They are so precious, and on Sunday at different times I felt that. I felt the humbling power of motherhood. Being a mother is an honor! I am so grateful for my mother, Matthew's mother, my Grandma, my Mama Fawn, and many other women who have played a motherly role for me in my life! I am who I am because of these stalwart women. I hope I can teach my boys about their Heavenly Father, their Savior, and the covenant path that I hope they will always choose.  

Jay, Me, Hugh

From school

From Jay and Hugh

From Matthew!

Pickleball was really fun on Monday. We had the best players there for the first hour, so I got a great work out in and I think I got better, too. I put Jay in a bright red shirt so I could see him everywhere he went. In the Fall, I would have to often chase after him to get him to come back to where I could see him. On Monday, he explored the perimeter of the park and I was nervous. I watched closely, and he came back all on his own accord! What a blessing! He's growing, learning, and I am grateful. Hugh luckily doesn't mind too much being inside the tennis court right next to where we're playing. He'll play with the ball and ride around on his bike. Hugh's learned how to say please in sign language, and it's the sweetest thing. 

Hugh loves this shovel, and finds it every time I open the garage

Jay was so sleepy, he often sleeps with his foot like this so I had to get a picture

I woke Jay up from his nap, brought him downstairs, and he fell asleep on me, it was so sweet.

Jay is actually getting better at pushing the swing and letting go

Jay emptied the entire silverware tray and put them away! It was amazing!

Hugh fell into the pool, got really wet and has never done it again

Tonight we went to a Piano Guys concert! The forecast was rain, but at Red Rocks amphitheater, they can play rain or shine. We got drizzled on the whole time, it eventually went right through my winter coat waterproof layer. I was prompted to take a waterproof blanket, and that mostly kept the top of our legs dry. And, we were soaked by the end. The concert was amazing, and so fun! I loved having an evening with Matthew and we joined a couple of our friends for the concert. Seeing and hearing a concert in a rock amphitheater was so cool! You could overlook all of Denver from our seats, and we were surrounded by beautiful red rock and mountains! The rain also made everything smell so fresh. The last 15 minutes of the concert and on our way home we didn't have any rain which was nice. 

2024 Girls' Trip

Since I had Jay, I've only spent two nights away from him. One time I left him with Matthew and the other time Katey took him for us right before we had Hugh. This weekend away, was an actual break, which I needed more than I even knew. Katey and Lindsay came to my house Thursday evening, then Matthew took us all to the airport. Security lines were minimal and we made it to the gate in plenty of time. It was Katey's birthday, so it was fun to actually get to celebrate a tiny bit with her. Katey and I lucked out with seats next to each other, which made the flight go quickly. Klaire picked us up from the airport and we went to bed shortly after arriving at her house after 11 pm. My internal clock woke me up around 5:30, but I was able to go back to sleep for a bit. We spent the morning in Buckeye, enjoying Klaire, Stanton, and Piper. Stanton adored the attention from Aunt Katey especially and Piper seemed to be okay with anyone who held her. We had great weather, and after lunch hit the road. Klaire dropped Katey and I off at Kara's house while she and Lindsay went to get her hair fixed. 

Lindsay, Me, Katey - waiting for our plane to leave

Katey, Lindsay, Me, and Klaire - driving over to Kara's

It was nice to have some time with Kara and her boys. They are full of energy, and such joyful boys. I kind of scared Jett when I crouched down to his level to say hello. Soon after the big boys (Ross and Levi) got home from school, they went to a friends house. Katey and Kara and I went on a little errand and then were about to go to a model home with Klaire and Lindsay got back. So, we all went to the model homes. I got some fun ideas for painting and for finishing our bathroom in the basement. The homes were beautiful and in some ways over the top. I could see myself enjoying a vacation in them, but never to live. We got pizza for dinner, and enjoyed it at a nearby park. It was a beautiful evening, and it was great to sit and visit without any interruptions. We checked into the hotel, and my sisters requested I ask for a room change, so I did and I was grateful they found us a third floor room. We went swimming that evening! Katey and Kara were the little fishes, Klaire and I were mostly hot-tub fish, and Lindsay was the fish out of water. Swimming feels so good and is so refreshing, but I didn't want to be cold so I spent most of the time in the hot tub.

Pizza night! 

We all slept until about 8 o'clock, which felt amazing. The room stayed so dark, and it was so quiet. Continental breakfast is a lot less exciting when you are gluten free, but they had enough options I still had a good breakfast. We painted our nails after we got back, and packed up all of our things before check out. Our first stop on Friday was DI. One thing all Bryce girls love is a good deal. And, we all found something! DI is much cleaner, with better quality stuff than the second hand stores here. Plus, you can find more modest things at DI as well. Oma joined us after we finished at DI. We picked her up, enjoyed some car snacks, and headed to Top Golf. Such a fun experience! I thought I had to hit all 20 of my golf balls for the first game all at once, but realized once I was done that you could simply click on another persons' name and they could hit whatever they wanted. I enjoyed watching everyone play, and was surprised by the end when I won! I am NOT a golfer! I definitely didn't win the second game, but we all had a great time. Like Kara said, it was fun to swing as hard as you wanted and it didn't matter. We hit the mall and enjoyed getting free See's candy samples and getting our rings cleaned at a local jeweler. Dinner was at 7 Brothers, originally only in Hawaii. It was so yummy! Oma treated us all to dinner, which was so kind! Lindsay headed back to Buckeye to hang out with friends and the rest of us went to Culver's for our ice cream treat. The patio was the perfect place to enjoy our ice cream, it was a little warm but the sun was setting and there was a nice breeze. Having time to visit throughout the day was amazing. Uninterrupted conversations as a parent are rare! I realized we didn't have to go to bed as late as we usually do when we're on vacation because we had quality time throughout the day. We didn't only have the hours after the kids were in bed to enjoy each other. We also operated to no timeline other than what we wanted to do. It felt so freeing. 

The whole crew together!

At the beginning of my 20 golfball stretch

I am sure my form is so good! LOL 

Victory pic

So much fun with everyone!

The Crew!

The crew at 7 Brothers.

Kara and I enjoying our burgers!

Sunday morning I slept until almost 9. I was so tired, didn't sleep great but slept until 9! Oma came in and was wondering if I was okay. It's amazing how much you can sleep when you don't have any official responsibilities. Hank and Levi were my Sacrament meeting buddies. I could feel Hank getting restless so I started giving him some big squeezes. He LOVED them, but was giggling so much that I had to stop. In the afternoon I got to video call with Matthew and the boys, which was great! I loved being able to see them, and as soon as Hugh bonked his head on the cement outside and was dripping blood, I ended the call. We had a great Cinco De Mayo dinner with taco salad and enjoyed the evening chatting. It was sad to see the Pollocks go home, but I am so glad they got to spend all of Sunday with us. 

Monday morning came quickly and we had the best time playing with Levi, Hank and Jett in the morning. The morning was cool, so we went to the park and played around. Levi and I played troll on the bridge and he wanted to play tag. He has some good speed, it won't be long until he can outrun me. Hank loved all the attention he got after Levi went to school. We had light saber battles and he made us lots of food from his play kitchen. I loved watching his joy and energy come full swing. He fell asleep within minutes of being in the car. Kara took us to the airport, and we arrived in plenty of time because our flight got delayed. It was nice to relax at the airport before getting on the plane. The lady made me check the size of my baggage and I was grateful when she didn't watch too closely as I shoved it into the size bin and pulled it out and walked onto the plane. Reuniting with Matthew and the boys has been wonderful! They were so happy to see me and I got great snuggles from Hugh before bed. 

Light saber war with Hank! 

Tuesday was full swing back to mom mode. I was much more patient and willing to roll with the punches than when I left, so I think the three day weekend was helpful for us all. My friend Janelle cut and highlighted my hair, and her daughters watched Hugh while Jay was at school. I was grateful I didn't have to get a babysitter in addition to the haircut. He loved the dog and the dog's bed, so I was very grateful the dog doesn't shed. Matthew got home that night from work, and it was very strange he didn't have any work to do. We had plenty to talk about as Germany is feeling closer and closer, so I'm sure most of our evenings will be filled with Germany talk and finalizing basement details. 

Hugh and the dog, Oreo

Hugh and Jay working on Uncle's birthday card

Wednesday I got to play pickleball and go to the paint store. Lila came with me to both, so she helped wrangle Hugh while I talked with the paint lady. I definitely appreciated the extra hands and Hugh loved the freedom. Jack helped me design and cut out our pinewood derby cars. I did mine, and Jack did Jay's. I am excited to see how they turn out! Jack's brain is a brain of efficiency so I think he was a bit disappointed on how uneducated I was about the pinewood derby car making process and that I didn't even have a design, but he was patient with me and we made it happen. 

Our basement is coming along! The drywall is coming to a close and I think we'll start painting early next week. I love seeing it come together, and am very grateful we have been able to do this right now. We are very blessed. 

Oma and Papa, and Other Fun

Last week Matthew flew to LA Thursday evening, and home Friday afternoon. He met with the consulate Friday morning, miraculously had all of his paperwork, and now we're in the waiting game. For some reason this trip was really hard, we were all extra sad when he left and extra excited when he got home. I am glad it was only a day! Now that it's May, I am beginning to realize we'll be going to Germany in a month! I am excited and nervous, all at the same time! I can't wait to have more time together as a family, and especially with Matthew. 

One thing that was fun, was I got to enjoy school lunch with Jay! He cried when I had to leave, but the teachers said he pulled it together fairly quickly. I love Jay, and getting some one on one time with him was special. This was a picture of his class right after our lunch when they got special straws. 

Jay's at the very back

Friday I had Gluten Free Cooking club. We learned how to make Orange Chicken. I have attempted before, but I did not like the recipe. The one that Colleen taught us was so yummy! I am excited to try to make it on my own again, and excited for a new recipe. She taught us how to fry the chicken in a cool way, utilizing cornstarch, eggs, and rice flour. Hugh was a pretty good sport and played with his toys or outside for the most part. 

Oma and Papa flew in very late Saturday evening with Jack and Lindsay's family, had a little baggage hiccup and got to our house about 2:30 Sunday morning. Jay was ecstatic to have Oma and Papa going to church with him and enjoyed sitting with them and not allowing them to pay attention to anything other than him during Sacrament meeting. Jay was very excited when we pulled into church the same time as Uncle. He ran and grabbed Uncle's hand and they walked down to Primary together, it was pretty sweet. I got to attend Relief Society, and had Sam on one side and Oma on the other. I was grateful they were there to help me feel a little more comfortable. Hugh was very nervous about being in there, and didn't want to go anywhere except for my lap. Oma, Papa, and Matthew (the airport shuttle driver), were all very tired after church and took some long naps after a quick tour of the basement. I loved showing the basement to Oma and Papa, and feeling their excitement was fun! Jay refused to take a nap, so we played outside most of the afternoon. We all went for a quick walk after dinner, and made it home just before the storm hit. That night we made ice cream for Oma and Papa, and played Quiddler. 

Jay LOVED Papa's backpack, and got all dressed up like him which was very cute!

Hugh loves reading books right now, and enjoyed time with Oma!

Jay doing everything he can except for napping!

Monday morning came quickly, and it was sad to have to take Oma and Papa to the airport. The boys loved playing with them, reading books, and just having someone pay attention to them. Right after the airport, I went to Highlands Ranch to the dentist and Jessica watched the boys. Jay calls Jessica, "Keka," which was very sweet. I think he had a great time, and she pulled out the funnest toys for them to enjoy! I have an old cavity that split, so I have to get a filling next week. I was so hopeful I was in the clear, but not this time. I barely made it home with Jay awake, and he took a great nap. Hugh fell asleep pretty quickly and thought it would be fun not to take a nap again, which made the afternoon interesting. 

I had fun meeting up with my friend Renee, and meeting her new baby Liam. Hugh enjoyed playing around a new house with new toys, and looking at their dog through the window. Today was our pickleball morning, but we only got to play for about 45 minutes. We got a late start and didn't have great numbers. I still enjoyed the time, and Hugh did very well entertaining himself. 

Jay's been having some better days and school and actually went poop in the potty at school and at home once this week. Both were miraculous occasions! We've started to wake up with Jay as soon as he does in the morning, so it doesn't give him time to poop in his pull up before coming out of his room. It's been and adjustment for all of us, and it makes me a little more tired every day having to get up earlier than I used to but it's all good. Jay got to celebrate the school mascot, Fletcher's, birthday at school. He was being rowdy and tripped and fell during the party, and the nurse was kind enough to put bandaids on both elbows and knees even though there wasn't any blood. Jay loved his new shirt and loved talked about Fletcher (the fox) being in the basket, in the car, going home, etc. 

Jay's beautiful flower! I am truly unsure how many of these he actually stuck on. Usually they write, teacher helped, but they didn't on this one.

Jay's recent school work. 

Jay made a crown at church, and also wanted to wear his new school shirt. 

Jay saying happy birthday, Fletcher!

On Monday afternoon I went to the freezer to grab some food for dinner and I found the door open! My heart sank....I had just loaded the freezer with butter that was on a great sale, ice cream, marinated meats, and potatoes. We were so blessed that the only thing that melted was the ice cream. The butter was warmer for sure, but I refroze that and I had to cook one bag of chicken for dinner that night. It brought back memories of when we found a cool chest in our garage a week after we moved in that had all of our meat in it - all of it spoiled! This time, we were so blessed to find it in time! 

I did taste a couple of them, and so did Jay, we couldn't resist. 

The basement is taking shape and coming along quickly! I am so excited! I've ordered the vanity, which will take forever to get here. We've got some closet doors, with more doors ordered. Carpet is ordered! Uncle has cut a space for the slide, and drywalled it. Unfortunately, we forgot to take the slide out from under the stairs before the outside wall got drywalled, so Uncle had to take that sheetrock off today and to get it out. I thought it was hilarious, one of those things you just don't think of until it's too late. And, luckily, Uncle had a good attitude about it too. 

Bottom of the stairs, furnace room.

Family room

Bathroom

Office, with guest appearance of Oma and Papa!

Matthew's hours are somewhat normalizing, most evenings he isn't working although he did work half a day on Saturday. We are loving the additional time with him, and it boosts everyone's mood. We have had a few nights now where we don't have anything going on, and we aren't sure what to do. Since Matthew's started work, we haven't had many week nights to do what we want and so when busy season is done, we're never sure what to do with the time after the boys are in bed. We do love talking, playing games, and watching a show or a movie is an easy way to relax too.