Spring Break

For Spring Break this year, Jeremy's parents came to visit. I love them. They told us to plan things we wanted to do so we did. We dragged them out early in the morning to see the sage grouse. It was cold but worth it. It's becoming a fun tradition during Spring Break.

Everybody say, "Sage Grouse."

Jet was very happy when he got to get out and run around. He had so much fun and got upset anytime I tried to put him back in the van. Finally, we had the other side of the van open and he kept pushing me and dragging me until I got in, then he climbed up into the van and over me to get in his seat. Sigh. Toddlers.

Another day of Spring Break we watched a movie with Grandma and Grandpa then had burritos for National Burrito Day on April 7. 

 

Grandpa and Jeremy took the four older kids to Pioneer Book in Provo to get some new (to them) books. While they were there, I told Jeremy to get pictures of the blossoms on Center Street. He did. 

He also brought me a book, The Ultimate Book of Baking, which is huge. We joked that it's thicker than a Brandon Sanderson book. Jr. picked one of those.

Grandpa said the kids were very chatty on the way there but very quiet on the way back because they were all reading.

Jr. Jr. and Lucky made a fort in the living room that day.

The last day before Grandma and Grandpa left we made a long drive out past Delta to U-Dig Fossils Trilobite Quarry. 

We spent 2 hours splitting rocks and collecting fossils to take home. That was so fun. We could have spent longer but we didn't need to and now we have fossils to last us for many years.

At the end of our time, as others were sorting through rocks deciding what to keep and if pieces could be broken off to make a smaller amount to carry, Jet decided it was time to sit down and throw dirt all around and all over himself. Grandma and Grandpa got a big kick out of seeing where his face got wet and muddy looking and enjoyed reminiscing about Jeremy eating dirt when he was little. Ah, family history.

We got home too late that night to celebrate National Unicorn Day, April 9, with Unicorn Swirl ice cream so we had some with our at-home potluck the next day.

That next day I walked home from church again. It's just easier when choir is right after church. Of course it was the day I decided to wear short sleeves without a jacket and it was starting to get cold again. But the blossoms in the neighborhood were sure pretty. Nichole and I have been sneezing a lot lately. Ah, Spring. Interestingly, we had snow for the next two days in a row after that.

Our bird feeding station didn't fair so well in the storms.

The day I walked home from church, April 10, was also Encourage a Young Writer Day. Nichole had some writing to do and we encouraged her. She was happy with how it turned out.

 

So that is how Spring Break went for us this year. We enjoyed our time with Jeremy's parents. They were able to watch Jr. give a talk in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday then headed out to spend time with Jeremy's brother and his wife and the newest grandbaby in Idaho. I love family.

What They Missed- August 5

Thursday, August 5-

Work Like a Dog Day. We danced to The Beatles music including "A Hard Day's Night" because of the line, "I've been working like a dog."

Dip

I worked hard that day. The boys rebuilt the fort and played with Jet a lot so I could get a lot done.

It was also Oyster Day so we snacked on Oyster Crackers.

Jeremy and the two oldest worked like dogs, too. And in the words of The Beatles, they "should be sleeping like a log."

Jr. denies he was sleeping in this picture but Jeremy assured me he was in that position a good half an hour before he woke.

What They Missed- August 4

Wednesday, August 4-

Good morning.

Jeremy said the kids were a huge help with the balloons. 

He also let me know those two were working on a juggling routine when they had some down time. Oh, it's been so long since I've put together a juggling routine. Jeremy, my brother Paco, and I used to do routines together when we were part of the juggling club in college. Good times. Good memories.

At home, or not at home, the boys and I went for a picnic at a park and walked around for just a little bit. 

We made chocolate chip cookies (at home) and ate some for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. We used the same recipe from The Food Nanny that Lucky used last year to make cookies on that holiday.

It was National Coast Guard Day so we made squid pups to eat with dinner. It's amazing how picky eating goes. Lucky won't eat hot dogs but he will devour squid pups.

The boys also talked me into letting them watch Kiki's Delivery Service since the city she's in is by the sea.

And they made a fort(?) on the couch.

First Week of School

We got first day of school pictures again this year. Yippee!

Some thoughts:
It doesn't matter that we got all the kids up early for the first day of school. One child still forgot their schedule and had to come back, one almost drove off without their mask (and did forget their water bottle), and another couldn't find their backpack for a while. At least I can say I made them a yummy breakfast (breakfast burritos) before school. I don't expect that to happen very often. Thank you, Jeremy for getting cold cereal at the store.

I had my nice breakdown less than an hour after the last kids went off to school.
I always have a lot of homework the first week of school (lots of disclosure documents to read and sign and getting to know you sheets to fill out). Of course later there's the helping kids with homework.
There are plenty of things to be grateful for. My kids like school and are good students.
It was so quiet that first day with four kids gone at school. Jeremy was doing work emails and Jet was concentrating on eating when I noticed the quiet around lunch time.
Lucky's teacher sent him home with a little package of donuts and a new book. The first thing I heard when he came in was him exclaiming that he liked his teacher.

That evening we went for a drive up Provo Canyon.

Lucky had a praying mantis on his shirt so when we got it off and put it in the grass, Nichole got some good pictures of it. That was not so easy to do since it was the same color as the grass.

When we got home, everyone got to talk to Grandma and Grandpa on the phone to tell them how the first day of school went.

Since it is Jr. Jr.'s teacher's first year teaching, Jr. Jr. wanted to do something special for her to let her know she did a good job on her first day. He wrote her a note and had Jeremy make a balloon apple for him to take to her. Lucky wrote a note for his teacher, too, even though she's been teaching for a lot more years than Jr. Jr.'s teacher.

By the end of the first week, everyone was exhausted. Lucky was happy to bring home a bat toy he earned for good behavior. He then proceeded to fall asleep on the floor while reading a book.

He fell asleep on the couch the next day while plenty of things were going on around him.

Nichole and Jr. both took after school naps on some of the days.
The boys were cute during the weekend and built a blanket fort in the living room with stuffed animal walls.

But we did it. We survived the first week of school.