Independence Day Fun

We celebrated the Fourth by hanging out with friends. First, we ate a yummy dinner with the families of some of Caleb’s closest friends. No pictures there but we met new people and got to see Caleb in his native environment, lol. 

Afterwards, we came home and popped off a bunch of small fireworks with a few of our neighbors. We are really blessed with great families nearby! In fact, while we were busy making noise and light, our next door neighbor came over with a bowl of sweet, cold, sliced watermelon for the kids, which somehow was the cherry on top of our Fourth. 

Happy birthday, America! We are grateful to be a part of you, and to have the freedoms that don’t come free. 

Hot Dogs & S'mores!

We entertained ourselves with a backyard cookout last week. The little ones really, really, really wanted to roast marshmallows and hot dogs after they saw Daddy burning some brush. We had to wait for the weekly grocery store adventure, and then voila! See if you can spot the elusive Sariah creature. She was ... elusive.

Apparently, we have all been eating our hot dogs the wrong way. Per Madeline's fine example, we should approach eating our hot dogs as if they are corn on the cob. I was fascinated.

And then there was the Thor incident. Our boys were quite pleased with themselves for recreating a scene from Endgame. Caleb will probably kill me if he sees this published ... but since I'm not on Facebook right now, no one will see it, right?

And more Madeline cuteness. IBC root beer for the win, and yummy s'mores smeared all about! Success!

Danger!

So I walked by my living room yesterday morning, and this is what I saw. I was a bit concerned for Christ's safety. I relocated my statue, but I was subsequently asked if he would rise again the third day if he fell and broke. And it was noted that he might have been blessing their track. Oh dear. Good thing I have a best friend to make me laugh.

Sam the Man

So, we got a new camera for Christmas. It's not that I actually knew how to use the previous DSLR. It's that it was almost 12 years old, had been repaired multiple times, and was getting kind of crotchety. Also, the lens had been pretty abused (7 kids, anyone?).

However, with all these free classes out and about in the time of the plague, I decided to start learning how to actually use the new DSLR. It came with 2 lenses, you see, and I guess I need some more smarts, lol.

So, don't flip and scoff when you see my pictures. I'm only on the second class. That's the one where they tell you what equipment you could need or want ... and that you should actually try them out before you buy. Hahaha. I got the new Nikon on a Christmas online deal, so there was no trying out anything, but whatever....

Sam is my ... most willing ... subject most of the time. He will generally strike all kinds of poses. They usually aren't the ones I'm anticipating getting, so there's that. But his personality definitely comes out. In any case, I was mostly experimenting with light and just a few basic settings on the camera, and I do mean experimenting.... I don't really have an eye for this stuff.

In any case, I love this kid. He makes my mouth and my heart smile every time.

Easter 2020 Preparations

Easter happened, and we did indeed prepare the day before. I've just been busying myself with other tasks than the blog. Sad day. But fun times getting reading for the Easter bunny. Check out Madeline's cake -- best decorating job ever!!!

Lately

The last few weeks have been pretty intense.

I've read more news than I probably have in the entire 12 months preceding January. And most of that news was pretty terrifying.

Having everyone home all of the time has also been an adjustment, not just for me but for all of us. Some of the 8 of us at home don't mind being with people every minute of every day. Some of us struggle a little more with the lack of quiet and personal space. But. As a mama, and in spite of my own personal preferences, I hate to send the little ones (and sometimes the bigger ones, too) away, knowing that their worlds have been just as upended as mine has been.

This past weekend was also intense, in mostly great ways, but still intense. We celebrated Sam's 10th birthday (I'll save that for another post), and that was lots of fun. It involved several batches of cinnamon rolls, pizza dough, and cakes, with varying degrees of success. Not sure what happened. It's like my baking talent just ... went on hiatus, lol. And there was no way to rescue anything but to try again. It was a good learning experience?

We also watched, from the comfort of our very own living room, the annual General Conference of our church members and leaders, which was very different and unique this year, thanks to social distancing. There were many, many wonderful words of hope and faith. I am so very glad that continuing revelation is a part of my life, and I am thankful for latter-day prophets and apostles to share words of inspiration and hope. I felt like I received many private promptings from the Holy Ghost about what I need to focus on right now to make myself a better disciple of Jesus Christ and just a better human being in general.

I read somewhere, on a long list of ideas for improving mental health during this time, that doing something repetitive such as sewing can be soothing to a stressed mind. Between that, and having far less taxiing to do than usual, I pulled out the Never-ending Project. I won't even tell you when I purchased this, and how long it's been scrunched up in a box, started but nowhere near completion, waiting for me to have free time (hahaha, while I was busy bringing 7 kids in to the world to rear, lol). Ah well, better late than never in this case. So this is what I've been obsessing over, instead of the daily blog post. It's coming along. And soothing my brain, too.

Easter Is Coming!

We didn't do school work today because Sam's birthday is tomorrow. But we did do some arts and crafts. We decided to put paper Easter eggs in our windows for the modified Easter egg hunts kids can do this year. We shouldn't do hunts where everyone gathers together, but walks in your own neighborhood are fun, and the kids have liked hunting things down in people's windows. So now our windows are decorated. I hope the HOA is not in full form right now.

They also got to play outside today. It was a little miserable ... but not to Sam and Madeline. They came in wet and happy.

And last but not least, the blue hair. This is the officially sanctioned picture.

But I do not feel that this picture does the color justice. So I asked for another one. And was declined. Punk kid.

Oh, and yes, we did have pancakes for dinner tonight. Pancakes make me happy. And they are easy if you have pancake mix on hand, lol.

Incoherent Minutiae

I've tried all day to organize my thoughts into something coherent.

I had grand plans for this blog post. Fun picture of the kids, or maybe something about the family history I've been working on.

But nothing has really gelled into place.

I walked 5 miles this morning. The weather was a bit cooler, and I'm just so grateful that my ankle has healed and doesn't give me any pain any more so I can go on an adventure ... the only one I'm allowed outside of my house right now.

We are trying to get into the swing of schooling at home. I've been homeschooling Sam and Madeline, of course, but now Rex and Sariah are home as well. The school district is gearing up to return to grading next week. Should be loads of fun.

Yes, that was a bit sarcastic. I've already been overwhelmed just by adding Madeline's schoolwork (learning numbers and ABCs) to Sam's school work this year. Adding two more kids to the mix is a lot. It'll even out eventually. But right now I feel like all I do is school work in one form or another.

I guess I did have an additional adventure today. I ventured out to the store. I had an order to pick up at HEB and then a prescription to pick up at Target (plus the things that didn't make it into my HEB order because the store shelves still have issues and the HEB curbside order limit can be challenging for a family of 8). It's exhausting to shop these days. There are fewer people, but the emotional toll is greater ... I get anxious about the things I touch and the air I breathe and the things I might be taking home to my family. And as much of an introvert as I am, it's just plain awkward and depressing  to keep so much distance between myself and others.

But, bright side: the store shelves are showing signs of catching up and being fully stocked again. AND this way I'm forced to plan ahead and not fly by the seat of my pants and be at the store eleventy times in one week.

I sat down tonight with my scriptures to prepare for Easter. This was probably the smartest thing I did for myself all day long. Right up there with pumpkin bread from Kneader's that I didn't share with anyone tonight.

I brought Madeline home a new baby doll. She's been loving on one who is at imminent risk of becoming decapitated. She wanted to fix it with tape today. Sadly that's probably a no-go. Seeing her face light up at the new doll was priceless.

Also, Caleb is turning his hair blue even as I type.

Tomorrow should be fun!

A Little Sunday Fun

It's not very often Rex poses for -- and I actually capture -- pictures likes this. Apparently the children thought our "lemonies" were a tad on the sour side tonight. Still, there was enough sugar for us all to be happy. However, Rex's face prompted a series of similarly entertaining poses. Sadly, some family members ... ahem ... declined to leave me with photographic evidence (or forbade me to share it).

After this there was an epic game of Risk (all hail Sam the Conqueror), which lasted just long enough for me to finally complete our federal and state taxes for 2019. A+ for me! I usually get them done much sooner, but 2019 was complicated, and 2020 has been even more so (shocking, I know!).

And then we opened the unexpected Amazon package on our doorstep. We left it quarantining there in the sunshine for several hours. Surprise! Sam's teachers sent him a fun treat, and he was thrilled!--so thrilled, in fact, that he goofed off for the camera and laughed afterwards. I love that kid, and I love the people who care about him!

We miss seeing our church friends on Sundays, but have had some sweet spiritual experiences at home while we are all apart. We enjoyed getting to participate in the worldwide fast today for COVID-19. We are keeping prayers close to our hearts for the world and our loved ones and those who are suffering.

Stay safe, friends!

Deep Breaths

I'm gonna be honest. Today was a little rough around the edges.

It could really be so much worse in so very many ways.

Sometimes the emotional and mental load of what's going on around us takes some personal adjustment. And sometimes adjustment is uncomfortable.

I was kind of done peopling. Except there are 8 of us here, and there's nowhere to go. I ended up taking a bath and eating some chocolate, and then found myself anxious to get back to the kids. But we are all a little on edge, and so things fall apart quickly. We are a work in progress.

This quarantine is especially difficult for our social butterfly, Sariah. She misses her friends. She misses library books. She misses meeting new people. And the time frame is becoming more of a reality for her. She's cried. And when she's cried, I've cried.

I can't decide what to do about the little device in my hands so much of the time. Social media can be a blessing and a curse. I've appreciated my friends' posts of goodness and humor.

The news articles are unbearable, and once I get started reading them, I have trouble stopping.

I'm not sleeping at night, and that's bad for the body's immune system, which we kinda need at top notch right now.

So.

Deep breaths. Lots of deep breaths.

Unplug for at least a few hours.

Gratitude. For my girls and getting to talk to them through the marvels of modern technology. For Unstable Unicorns. For Epic! and for Prodigy. For sunshine and cool breezes. For long walks. For chats with two of my BFFs. For all of the people working so hard to save lives. For hugs at home. For the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. For Sam's grateful heart. For Madeline's joyful giggles. For Sariah's sensitive heart. For Rex's sneaky humor. For Caleb's full laugh. For daddies who take their little girls for walks, and for husbands who compliment their wife's begrudging meal-making. For my Savior and for my Heavenly Father and Mother.

So.

Get up in the morning, and hug my babies, and be with them, because time is a gift.

Happy 19th, Caleb!

This bouncing baby boy celebrated his birthday today.

We started the day with cinnamon rolls. In our household it is a crime for the icing to actually be white. Since Madeline got up as early as Daddy did, she got to pick the food coloring.

The Birthday Boy was, naturally, super excited about having his picture taken. Since we failed to provide him with tangible birthday gifts (thank you, Plague 2020), we procured one of his favorite meals, Raising Cane's (drive-through, of course). Don't judge. I had very mixed feelings about doing this. Because Plague 2020. But. I've got rationalizations. It's not against the stay-at-home order to get food from restaurants. It helps people keep their jobs, and it helps the economy. We might all die for Caleb's birthday because the college-age RC employees don't even know they have the virus, so there's that. But like everyone else, we're just trying to juggle all the needs right now.

Caleb made his own birthday cake today because he's really bored. And I wanted a nap. One of his favorites is tres leches cake. I haven't made it very often (exactly once before), and like many of you, I have to kind of make up my grocery list on the fly depending on what's actually on the shelves, so I bought a cake mix this year. We have some kinks to work out next time, but man, it still tasted good. 

Also, we had no candles. Well actually we do, but we can't locate them.... And since we can't just dash out to the store to get more, we improvised. While I was setting the matches into the cake, Caleb talked about how he burned his hand making a "match bomb" like this (I didn't even ask). Bob and I both shrugged. But Sam freaked out. There was weeping and wailing and near hyperventilation. And that was before the matches actually finally lit up. But then? Then it was super cool! We all survived unburned AND the smoke detectors didn't go off, so win? 

He hates this picture apparently, and forbade me to post it on Facebook. I complied with that request. But my blog is not FB. And I love this picture because it is his natural smile, possibly with relieved overtones that he didn't get fried.

After this we gave intangible presents to Caleb: we each shared a memory of him we like. 

This was pretty entertaining. 

Rex talked about that year we put the matches on Caleb's birthday cake in the middle of a pandemic. Bob told about how when Caleb was little he would carry his scripture case around like Daddy's briefcase, and then about how Caleb liked to walk with Daddy when he mowed, so Mom bought him a little lawn mower, and then Caleb quit. 

Mom remembered fondly the first two years of Caleb's life, when he was a-mom-clinging monster. And then he turned two, and I had to have the policeman at the library keep him from escaping every time we went.

Disney singalongs and quote-alongs with his siblings were remembered by Rose. 

Madeline talked for about 5 minutes straight; the gist of it was that she likes it when Caleb plays on the trampoline with her. Sam also said this, but in about 5 seconds. This was especially well received by Caleb, as he hasn't been able to actually do this with them since he messed up his knee playing YSA dodgeball this winter.

We even Facetimed Lizzi. Her tale was of the time Caleb ruined her birthday party by getting hit in the head with a baseball bat. I think she was 6. This seems like a long time to hold a (happily remembered?) grudge, but who am I to judge?

Happy birthday, Caleb! You are the best. We owe you a big birthday bash.

Tomorrow we have to walk off all these calories. While social distancing. Good times.

Quarantine Day Number ... wait, what day is it??

It's time to dust off the blog ... partially because I have time to do it now.

We are entering our third week of quarantine for the coronavirus pandemic. It's not the third week of mandatory quarantine, but our kids have basically been home since the 7th of March. Bob began staying home from work last week. I've only gone out a couple of times to shop (why are they always so hungry?).  School is out until at least April 24, though my guess is the whole school year is gone. Our city issued a stay-at-home order yesterday.

So we've been hanging out at home. We play a lot of games. We just finished our Spring Break Harry Potter Marathon. Because when you have time you can spread that baby out. We are all already a little stir crazy.

But I'm an introvert and a homebody by nature. It's not making me consistently crazy to do this. I love just having time, instead of having to race off to the next thing. There are a few silver linings.

Sam has decided he wants to learn to cook. Today he made us macaroni & cheese for lunch, and tonight he helped make pizza. See the product of his efforts below. Madeline helped, too. She helps with everything. :)

We hope and pray folks are staying healthy and safe. We miss you and we love you! <3 p="">