Catch of the Day

 

Jeremy: What's the matter? Never seen a guy playing on his phone before?

Me: How long have you been like this?

Jeremy: About half an hour or so.

My Husband is Awesome

I love my husband. I love that he is the father of our children. My husband is awesome and the kids didn't even write "my husband is awesome." I did. Sometimes they will randomly write that sentence when I've stepped away from the blog. Most of the time I leave it in unless the sentence doesn't fit with what I'm talking about in that spot in the post.

Here are some of the ways my husband, their father, was awesome on Father's Day this year.

He took us all to church and taught his Primary class.

He requested a salad bar for dinner that day and he cut up a lot of the vegetables himself.

He was pleased with his gift (The Book of Mormon on CDs so he can listen to it in the car) and the many layers of wrapping paper (one layer decorated by each child).

He also liked the flower in vase picture Lucky made for him (like Lucky made for me for Mother's Day except my vase didn't have a mustache on it).

He played Breath of the Wild so the kids could watch him. They love watching him play The Legend of Zelda games.

My husband is awesome.

Jeremy's Birthday!

We celebrated Jeremy's birthday in February. The kids insisted on having ALL the candles on the cake. Some of them were very short by the time he blew them out.. all in one breath, I might add.

 

Jeremy got his requested dinner and the couple that ministers to us even brought us some pan fried potatoes to go with it. We love those. Mmmmmm.

Both Lucky and Jr. Jr. created LEGO sculptures for Jeremy. Jr. Jr. made a stone talus (see Breath of the Wild) and Lucky made a pink flamingo. They are so sweet.

Jeremy had a pretty good birthday and it was relaxing for at least some of it. He got to sleep in and that's always nice.

Jeremy's Quarantine Project

Way back... I don't remember how long ago but sometime within the last two years, Jeremy and Jr. started on a project together- a platform feeder for the birds. They built it, painted it, including learning new painting styles. It was a long time project that finally got done.

Earlier this year, Jeremy wanted to build a feeder for orioles and tanagers, one where you can stick oranges because they like oranges. That didn't take nearly as long since it was just Jeremy working on it. He has plans for other bird welcoming projects with other children which they'll eventually do. 

This Summer, Jeremy put together a bird feeding station with places for various types of feeders, etc. The platform feeder of course, a suet feeder, Nyjer sock, new hummingbird feeders that friends gave us, our bird seed feeder and hummingbird feeder from before, the orange feeder, and a hanging bird bath that Jeremy put together. That's it... so far. The amount and location of these feeders can change at the station since Jeremy set it up with loops and hooks and the stand the platform feeder is on is easy to be moved. I think Jeremy did a good job with it making it all flexible and user friendly.

I realized I never got a picture of the whole thing since Jeremy added the hanging bird bath. Oh, well. I'll have to do that sometime.

Jr. Jr. has found a little spot of Zen out there. Jeremy built a small rock/brick wall to block the sprinklers and Jr. Jr. can sit there with the birds, especially a juvenile Woodhouse's Scrub Jay who is quite bold and will come to eat even with people so close.

It is a nice little area out there. There's still work to be done in the area but it's nice to have a place to feed the birds.

Catching Up on the Last Five Months- 2

From Oregon, the kids and I then headed to Washington to visit Jeremy's parents.
When we got there, the kids were content to look at books and play with toys while I chatted with my mother-in-law.  At one point she asked me to take something out to the freezer in the garage.  I went through the family room to do it.  As I was walking through I saw on the couch a rose in a vase and the stuffed "Daddy" Nichole and I made for Jeremy a few years ago.

What?  How did that get there?  When I came back into the family room to get a better look, I saw movement across the room.  IT WAS JEREMY!
It turns out Jeremy's parents flew him into Washington so I wouldn't have to drive all the way back to Utah by myself (and I'm sure they wouldn't mind the time with their son as well).
I was so happy.
I went back to where the kids were and sent them in to see what was in the family room.  DADDY!

Hello, Jeremy.  We missed you.
So we had an even better visit in Washington with Jeremy there (though we would have had a good time anyway- love my in-laws).

Things we did in Washington:
Spent time with Daddy

Picnicked and went out to eat

Found what the candy fairy left lying around

Watched a local band at the park

Went to the Museum of Flight including riding in simulators and walking through real aircraft

Went to the zoo/aquarium with cousins

Went to visit Great Grandma

Went tidepooling

Jr. Jr. brought me flowers from church

Jeremy and I got a chance to go out birding and got our target bird- pileated woodpecker.  We don't get those in Utah.  It's a big woodpecker.

That was our trip to Washington.