June 29, 2014

sunday best

olive cracks me up with her constant posing
plus she's so cute in the dress i made for hazel a year or two ago
 and she rocks my boots way better than i do
 henry is so cute in noah's old tie onesie 
 look at that little face! 
 eleanor finally fits this sailor dress that i picked up at our ward in utah's relief society swap last year
 michael was cute and stressed about his talk 
which went marvelously, of course
cutie hazie
matchie ties
eleanor accessorized herself
hazel wasn't into noah trying to force his binoculars on her
me and henny benny through a dirty mirror
you get what you get, right?
everyone i was in charge of dressing was a little patriotic
we're excited for the 4th of july this week!!

June 28, 2014

a good, busy saturday

i got up early this morning to get ready for the day and admired how long my hair is getting
it's so weird for me to have long hair
but i still like it so it's not going anywhere too soon
michael took the kids to get breakfast while i went to a 9am appointment to give blood
it went well and i'm always glad to be able to give
(you know, in between pregnancies every other year)
afterward we tried to go to a park by the river
and it was closed off for a triathalon AGAIN
this happened a few weeks ago, too
come on! 
so instead we went to the old penitentiary
it's a prison nearby that was in operation from 1873 to 1972
it's way old and kind of creepy but it was super interesting 
hazel refused to dress up or get her picture taken with these two adorable inmates :)
 just a little underground punishment cell
 exploring some of the bunk cells
 this one had four floors
 the conditions were not great
and it seemed pretty crazy that inmates were there as recently as the 70's
 death row
 it was a little hard to explain to the kids what "death row" and "death penalty" were
but noah swears he's going to be super good from now on :)
this is a picture of the trap door they used for hangings until the 1950's
(sorry about the reflection)
 there was a super interesting weapons museum there, too
olive was way in to these pole arms
 a sweet watch tower
 solitary confinement 
it said they didn't really cool it in the summer or heat it in the winter
and there would be ice on the walls
some people were in there for days and some up to a year
given 1-2 meals a day and a weekly shower
 the women's ward was finally opened after female prisoners were getting pregnant...
it was pretty funny and lax 
there was a sewing machine inside, and other things for them to develop hobbies
most of them weren't sentenced very long
 afterward we stopped for treats and lunch
because we were all hot and hungry
this italian ice was way good
 we drove to a state park that had a little man made lake to eat our lunch
and the kids got in wearing their normal clothes since we hadn't planned on going there
so we didn't pack swimsuits or towels
it was pretty awesome though
 and to top it off henry is three months today!
he's such a doll!

 and michael mowed the state of idaho into our backyard tonight
so there's that
now he's pretending he's dying while avoiding writing a talk for church tomorrow..
better him than me!

June 27, 2014

brianne

 brianne is my super awesome friend
that 6-7 years ago i used to do multiple things a week with
back when we each only had one babe
if memory serves me right we were both in the church bathroom one week
and brianne suggested we do something that week
with her little ryan and my little noah
and just like that we started going to playgroups, 
story times at the library and indoor park through the city
it was super fun
brianne is hilarious
super down to earth 
totally awesome and way in to hair
what's not to love?
 brianne now has three kids and we haven't lived near each other for years
but she was in town today and i was so glad i got to see her and her kids
(plus her friend tracy and her kids, it was a party!)
brianne's husband scott passed away very suddenly this past january 
brianne writes a blog about her current circumstance, her struggles and things that make her happy
you know, whatever's on her mind
i love her writing
it feels like we're sitting having a chat every time i read it 
you should read along, here's the link 
it was amazing to see her today
thanks to the internet (blogs and facebook) we'd hardly missed a beat
i feel so refreshed after talking with her
i know she has great things ahead of her
she is awesome
and i'm super lucky to have her as a friends
love you, brianne! 

June 26, 2014

raspberry pie

this morning the kids and i went outside  and picked a colander full of raspberries
we decided to make pie but there are still a lot left so i think jam is next
 look at all those ripe berries
noah totally said, "this is a berry good day" while picking #nailedit
everyone needed an apron, obviously
 hazel didn't think i was including her enough and she said,
"i didn't come here to watch, i came here to cook" #dramaqueen
i told them they could mash the graham crackers for the crust
so naturally they used magic wands...
 it would've covered the pie plate a little more if olive hadn't kept snacking while mashing
 eleanor looked pretty cute wearing my apron
 the pie all chilled and ready to eat
 with whipped cream, of course
 it was delicious
and really fun to make with the kids
especially picking the berries
it felt very summer-y
then, the kids watched a bunch of tv
and i got fed up so i unplugged it
for now....we'll see how long it lasts
i love having a tv free summer but i wasn't doing it because we just moved,
we have a new baby, there are five kids, i need all the help i can get, etc.
 but we'll try it
off the bat it was awesome
we went out front to ride bikes and i offered to take hazel's training wheels off
and she got it immediately
we're so proud of her
and she's so proud of herself
such a big girl!!

preschool woes

i am really frustrated trying to find olive a preschool
hazel went to the most amazing preschool in utah three days a week
for under a hundred a month
she had a certified teacher and she learned so much
she was reading by the end of preschool
we really lucked out
and would love to send olive there, too
but can't since we moved
hopefully olive will get in to the free preschool through the school district
based on her need for speech but if not, they will at least provide her with speech therapy again
we won't know if olive is accepted to preschool though the school 
until it's too late to find another option
so we have to find a back up now
my requirements in a preschool aren't crazy
i'd prefer it to not be in someone's house 
mostly because it seems less safe and less professional
i don't want it to also be a daycare
because it seems like it will be treated like daycare
i don't want to pay a crazy amount
and i'd love it if there was some real curriculum rather than just playing and free time
is that too much to ask?
so far the "best" option we've found is close to our house which is good
but it's also over twice as much as hazel's and a daycare too..
so.....there's not much point in me writing about this
but i'm frustrated and it's on my mind..
also, the pictures are of olive's fit leaving the park tonight
and michael having to drag her home
isn't being a parent the best?

June 24, 2014

cub scout day camp and a day at home with the little ones

noah had his first cub scout day camp ever today!
he got up bright and early for michael to take him to the church
he was gone all day and i was surprised how much easier 4 kids felt
and also how much i missed him all day long
 we had a nice low key day at home
while i was vacuuming olive held hands with henry on her bed
 henry was all smiles all day
he was having a hard time eating or sleeping because he was so smiley and social
 eleanor has become really jealous of henry lately
it's terrible
she won't let me hold him without holding her, too
it's an exact repeat of olive and eleanor two years ago
i was really hoping to avoid it this time around...
anyway, i have to try to distract her so i can take care of henry
today she enjoyed looking out the window while we hung out on our bed
she loves to point everything out to me
it's pretty cute
"airplane mommy!" "bird!" 
isn't her hair wild lately?!
 i guess this is what happens when your older brother is away for the day
and you're stuck home with your three big sisters...
olive said he needed to wear it to so he could show me he loves me
i don't think henry was thrilled to have something constricting his head for the first time..
 the girls all helped me make pizzas for dinner
olive was a big help eating lots of cheese

 hazel and olive stayed in their jammies all day 
 noah came home from day camp so happy
he got to shoot a bb gun, do archery, make a leather bracelet, buy binoculars and a snow cone
it was pretty much heaven for an 8 year old boy 
 he also made a spy glass that really works!
 the pizzas were delicious
thanks to my three cute helpers
 eleanor thought she was pretty cool wearing noah's sneakers and holding his lunch box
it was a good day
added bonus that michael got home a little big earlier from work than anticipated
and saw that i'm tired and sick (sore throat) so he sent me to lay down
while he put all the kids to bed
such a darling!

ps. here's noah's group picture from the day