Utah

Monday morning, we loaded up the car and headed out to Utah.  It's funny how a 9 hour car ride can feel short compared to the usual 14 hour trip to Texas!  We had a stop for lunch and had a yummy egg salad sandwich lunch courtesy of Anna and the kids got to play a bit before we finished the trip.  We got in just in time for a late dinner and to put the kids to bed.  My parents had gotten in earlier in the day and Sandi and Jon got in later that evening.  The next day, the fun started - at least for the kids.  My parents ended up spending most of the trip trying to get things sorted out for Grandma Penny and while they got a lot done - they didn't get to spend nearly as much time as they would have liked hanging out with the rest of us.

Tuesday we started out the day in the pool, then for a change of pace, we headed to a really neat public park that Jon found!  It had some really cool things to play on and a smoking volcano and a fun little cheap train ride and even some water fun to splash around in.  The kids (and adults) had a great time!  We headed back to the pool before dinner for a bit and had fun, then had a yummy dinner before sending some tired out kids to bed!   Dan didn't go to the pool with us in the morning - he had a phone interview, but he joined us for the park!

Wednesday again included as much pool time as the kids could talk us into.  In the afternoon, we met up with mom for pedicures.  I know Eileen doesn't look happy in this picture, but she did enjoy herself.  We all had a nice time together chatting and getting a bit of pampering.

Thursday morning, we got to go and meet up with Grandma Penny - they wheeled her outside so we could chat and eat angel food cake and let the kids run around.  We found a hummingbird nest with 2 babies in it and we all got rather excited about that!  The kids had a fun time playing and chatting with Grandma.  She tired easily, but the kids were very good about being careful around her and listening to her.

Friday morning, Sandi and Jon took Taz and Kai and Eileen and Aaron to Zion's National Park to hike.  They had a great time.  Weather was good for them and Eileen found a whole bunch of tadpoles and frogs that she could pick up and play with, so she was in 7th heaven.  While they went there - I took the younger kids to the pool.  They have been loving being in the pool this week - we tried to be good about sunscreen, but there was still a little bit in the way of sunburns.  I've been enjoying the pool too - taking the weight off my joints every day really helped with me being comfortable and with the swelling in my feet!  We finished the day with a fun game that Grandpa set up with questions about Great Grandma Penny.  The kids played in teams and got to answer questions for fake money which they used after to "buy" some fun little prizes.  I was amazed at how well Eileen had listened to Great Grandma Penny and remembered the answers that she had given the day before.  We were all amazed at James' ability to guess the right answer almost every time - despite all his answers being random guesses!

After most of the kids had gone to bed, Eileen was enjoying her quiet time and got a gentle hair brushing from Grandpa!

Overall it was a wonderful week.  I know my parents would have liked less stress and more time with the grand kids, but they were able to figure a lot of things out and get things understood and figured out in a way that will help them have peace of mind now and channels of communication for the future.  The kids had a great time playing with their cousins and it was wonderful to get to see the kids with Grandma Penny.  Saturday morning, we cleaned up and then hit the road heading for home.  We had a lunch break and a couple gas breaks and made it home in good time for dinner and bed!  Dan picked up Koopa and mowed the lawn and we got a few things done before the Sabbath.

Church today was wonderful.  We got to listen to a couple awesome talks from our high councilmen and an amazing musical number by one of our wards elders and one of our young men.  Classes and lessons were great - both ended up being wonderful reminders of what an amazing man I'm married to.  After church, Dan went to visit a friend from work for a little baby shower get together.  I took the kids and headed to choir.

We now officially have 2 weeks left - 2 weeks from now I will be in the hospital getting ready to have a baby!

Vacation Time

This week was the kids first full week of Summer Break.  The kids spent a lot of the week just playing and having fun together.  Monday was laundry and grocery shopping as usual.  

Tuesday, Aunt Tina came and took the kids to the Butterfly Pavilion for a few hours and I went to get a hair cut and relax a bit.  The kids had a blast - they always love the Butterfly Pavilion.  I chopped about a foot off my hair - but it is still half way down my back - so not exactly short.  Aaron decided to re-read through the Harry Potter books and at one point, I caught him reading like this and couldn't help snapping a picture.  :)  In the evening, I had my last institute class - we had some yummy snacks and a great lesson!  I'm looking forward to next year and diving into the Book of Mormon!  We also had our friends Kay and Reggie over for some games - Apparently Eileen had thrown down the gauntlet about beating Reggie at Dominion, so they came over to try and take her down a notch... and failed....  Thankfully they were still there playing and having fun when I got back from Institute and stuck around for another game - where Dan and I both got brutally beaten.  :) 

Wednesday, Eileen went over to help out a sister in our ward who had just had twins - she had a great time serving and helping with the tiny babies and their toddler age older sister!  While she was there, I took the kids and we all went to the dentist's office for Evie's appointment which went well, then we headed back to pick up Eileen, then home.  In the evening was the usual summer Wednesday - Young Men's and Young Women's activities and the younger kids hanging out with me.

Thursday was piano lessons in the morning, then just hanging out and playing outside most of the afternoon.  We also were starting to want to get things ready for our trip next week.  I took Eileen and Anna with me to drop off Aaron and Cub Scouts, then we headed over to the Dollar Store and Walmart to get some things for the trip.  Then we picked up Aaron and headed home.

Friday was more time at home - getting some stuff ready and getting some clean up done.  I took the kids to the used book sale before lunch and we picked up some books and headed home.  Anna was excited to find a bunch of Babysitter Club books that we didn't already have and we got some good stuff - but the selection wasn't as good as it's been in the past.

Saturday was rather busy.  Eileen had flute lessons in the morning.  Dan was taking his Project Manager Certification Test that he has been studying hard for this past month.  He passed it and did very well - it was such a relief for him to have that done and to be able to be done studying and stressing out.  We also spent a lot of the day getting laundry done and getting things ready for the trip.
Sunday was church in the morning with great talks and lessons and choir in the afternoon, then in the evening we got the kids clothes packed up and ready to go for the next day!

School's Out for Summer

Well, it's been a busy week, with Dan out of town, life is always more tiring - he is such an amazing husband and father that there is truly a big hole in our lives when he's gone.  Monday included laundry and grocery shopping and all the usual school and home fun.  I tried to get most of the laundry folded, but after grocery shopping, I just couldn't stay up that late.  So I headed to bed and finished it later.

Tuesday was more tired me.  Becca came over which was fun and we had fun chatting and crafting stuff.  After school was the usual, and then in the evening was institute.  Class was wonderful!!!  I love getting to go and dive into the scriptures every week!

Wednesday was field day for the kids.  I sent them off to school covered in sunscreen and with more to apply during the day and for once they came home mostly sunburn free - Anna, despite bringing a hat managed to lose it early on and get a sunburn on her head, but other than that - they did pretty good this year!  In the evening, Eileen had her YW activity and Anna had her Activity Day girls activity.

Thursday was the kids last day of school!  It was overcast most of the day - but rain held off long enough to allow the kids to all get together at the park after school with their friends.  They had a great time and now they are excited about the end of school.  After school was mostly the usual.  Aaron had cub scouts, Anna took him there and got him after on bikes (thankfully weather was mostly good though they got a bit rained on on the way home, and the sun is going down late enough for it to still be light at 8) and I had a baby shower that I went to for a bit.

Friday was the first official day of summer break and we celebrated by starting the day off with piano lessons.  :)  After, Nevaeh came over to play for the day.  The kids had a fun day of playing outside and making crafts for their American Girl type dolls.  Dan got home just in time for dinner and some fun together in the evening.  We started watching "The Flash" with Eileen since she's been on a superhero kick lately.  So far, she's really enjoying it.

Saturday morning, Eileen had flute lessons, then we spent the morning taking it a bit easy and getting some stuff done around the house.  In the evening, we went over to the church for a pot luck dinner with the Crockett's visiting from Kansas City and had a great time!  Dan got some more practice in for the big test next week.  And we ended the day with a quiet evening getting ready for the Sabbath.

Church today was wonderful.   The talks given in Sacrament meeting were wonderful and the rest of church went great - and for once I didn't get called out of class to try and help one of my kids make better choices...  :)  After church, Dan did some home teaching and then I had choir practice, then Dan did some more home teaching.  There was a bit of napping that happened and then a yummy dinner with the family.  I picked Doug up from the airport - he had gone out for Julia's graduation - and had a nice conversation with him on the way home.  Then in the evening, Dan beat us soundly at Killer Bunnies and then took great joy in rubbing it in to Eileen.  While I just looked on and laughed.  :)  Now it's time for bed!!  just over 1 week before we go to Utah and 4 weeks to baby!

Almost Done

Well - the kids are in the final stretch.  They survived immersion and now they have less than a week left of school.  Monday was the kids first day of immersion and they loved it!  For James and I, it was full of books, games, laundry, daddy fun (Dan worked mostly from home) family home evening, grocery shopping and a trip to Costco to get ready for the weekend.

Tuesday, James and I went to his final preschool day - we did a fun little field day and had a fun snack together and just had fun.  James and I got there early to play at the park for a bit and ran into some friends from the Peoria ward!

After preschool, James and I headed over to Quest to be there for Evie and Aaron's Hogwarts End Feast and the other fun.  It was a blast to watch them have fun and play quidditch.  Then we grabbed the rest of the kids and headed home.  In the evening, I had Institute which was so awesome!

Wednesday was late start.  James and I mostly hung out and read books and played games.  In the evening, Dan and Eileen had youth activities and I hung out with the younger three.  

Thursday was much the same, but with out the late start.  In the evening, Aaron had cub scouts and the rest of us tried to work some on getting the house cleaned up.  

Friday was more clean up and get ready stuff, then in the evening, we went over to Dwayne and Nicole's house for a yummy birthday dinner for Dan.  Dwayne made curried chicken (SO YUMMY) and I brought a pineapple upside down cake.  We all had a blast - the kids playing and the grownups chatting and laughing.  

Saturday was long and exhausting, but lots of fun too.  It started off with Flute lessons for Eileen.  Piano lessons for the kids, a doctor's appointment for Evie to get a wart burned off and then we all met up at a graduation party for one of the young men in our ward.  Then we headed home to get everything finally set up and ready for Dan's birthday party.  I meant to take pictures, but failed.  We had a great turn out and got a lot of the food eaten.  I made 12 avocados worth of guacamole and it mostly got eaten.  We got to see lots of friends and had lots of fun.  After, we did some clean up and then Dan ran some quick errands to get ready for his trip and the Sabbath, then we crashed.  

We got up for church the next morning, not quite recovered from our Saturday, but happy to be there.  The choir sang and they did a great job, we had some great lessons and then we headed home.  Dan had just enough time to get home and grab his stuff and kiss us good by before heading to the airport.  He will be gone most of next week in San Francisco.  :(  The kids let me take a little Sunday nap, then we played a game of Life (I won!)  Then we did dinner and had fun playing together.  Our home teacher stopped by with some popsicles, so we had popsicles and played outside until bed time.  

Less than 2 Weeks

The kids have less than 2 weeks of school left - so of course they are very excited about all the fun stuff happening.  This week included lots of fun stuff.  Monday, Dan took the day off (kinda - that usually means that he just ends up working from home anyway) and got some stuff done around the house that he's been meaning to get done.  Other than that, it was a usual Monday full of laundry and grocery shopping and school and homework and piano practicing.

Tuesday was Stake Temple night.  We had preschool here during the day - but with a small turn out.  We had fun though!  After, we got the kids from school and had our usual crazy afternoons.  Then after dinner, Dan and I went to the temple for a session.  It was a wonderful evening!

Wednesday was a normal late-start day.  Anna's grade did their special "Author's Tea" where they get to present the books they wrote during the year to their family and friends.  So we headed over to the school early to be with Anna and have her read her book to us!  James was happy because he got a cookie...

In the evening, Dan and Eileen had Youth Activities, Anna had Activity Day Girls, and I had one last Chorale Executive Committee meeting.  We had an early dinner, then I took the younger 3 kids and they watched a movie on my tablet while I was at the meeting.  Then we headed home for bed!  

Thursday was preschool again - this time we were down to 2 kids, but we still had fun playing and learning!  In the evening Eileen and Anna had their Prism Concert at the school which is the big performance for the band and both choirs at the end of the school year.  The girls both did a great job!  Aaron also had cub scouts in the evening, So he and Dan had to leave a little early to get there, but it was a great night.  James just loved the music and was doing his best to do some interpretive dance.  

Friday, I had a doctors appointment.  My friend watched James for me during my appointment, so he got to have fun playing with his friend and I got a little bit of peace and quiet.  All is going well with the pregnancy so far - I'm healthy and baby is healthy!  After school, the kids had the usual practicing and such, then when Dan got home, the boys all left for the father-son camp out.  The boys had a great time - though I don't think Dan slept at all.  Then he got them home early enough in the morning to be ready for piano lessons and for Dan to crash and get a nap in during the morning.  After piano lessons and lunch, I took Eileen and Anna to my baby shower given by my sweet visiting teacher and a couple other friends from the ward.  We had fun playing games and chatting and eating a gorgeous and yummy cake!  It was so much fun!  

After, we went home and Eileen babysat so that Dan and I could go out for dinner together.  We had a great evening eating yummy food and chatting.  

Today was Mother's Day.  It started off with Dan getting up a bit early to make a yummy breakfast for me along with some wonderful cards and an awesome Ravenclaw t-shirt from Dan.  (now I just need to get rid of the pregnant belly so I can fit into it!!)  Then we headed to church for a wonderful sacrament meeting.  Class I think went well and then the women in the ward got pie and fruit for Mother's Day.  It was great!  After, I took the kids home for lunch, then Dan and I headed back to the church so I could give a talk on the joy of motherhood in the singles ward.  After, Dan let me take a nap while playing with the kids and making me a yummy dinner.  He is such an amazing husband and father!  We spent the time before bed playing outside and enjoying the mild weather and having fun together.  

The older four kids are all excited about the upcoming week - enough so that Evie has been praying about immersion (which is Monday and Tuesday) at the school and all the fun things they will get to do.  

6 weeks from now I will be heading into the hospital - it seems like such a short time away and yet so far too.  

It's the final countdown!

Well we are officially heading into the end of school year craziness.  The kids have tons of stuff going on at school this month and this week was just the beginning.  Monday was just the usual crazy - laundry, grocery shopping and such.   I took Eileen with me to the grocery store and ended up getting her some face wash and talking about make-up.  She's growing up so fast!

Tuesday, James had preschool, and Becca came over.  Her sister had some car trouble so Becca went to pick her up and brought her back so we could all have lunch together.  And Dan even came home for some of it.  :)  Normally I would have had institute on Tuesday, but the Chorale's rehearsal was moved to Tuesday to be able to do a tech rehearsal at the church that our concerts would be at.

Wednesday was late start for the kids, plus it was the day that Anna and her class at school headed off to CalWood for a few days.  She was so excited.  I didn't have choir that night since I had it on Tuesday, but Dan and Eileen still had their youth activity in the evening.

Thursday was preschool for James again and of course cub scouts in the evening for Aaron.  Plus Eileen had her final Teens for Oceans meeting - which was apparently a end of year party that she didn't enjoy...  I also tried to take advantage of the nice weather to get some yard work done.

Friday, Anna got back from CalWood and she needed to be picked up early from school - which gave us just enough time to get her home to shower (so of course James had to also) and change before going to get the rest of the kids from school.  It's so nice to have Anna back.  You might think that with 4 other kids at the house that one less kid wouldn't make that much of a difference, but she was much missed.  Then in the evening, Sister Cottrell came and watched the younger kids while Dan and Eileen came with me to my concert.  The concert over all went really well.  Eileen was so cute - after she said that the reason she likes Easter and Christmas so much is not because of the candy and presents, but because of the concerts.  :)  The three of us made a quick stop at Chili's for the molten lava cake before heading home for the night.

Saturday was long and tiring and fun.  Dan left first to go on a hike with the scouts - there ended up being only one scout - but it was still a great hike and a great experience.  Eileen left second - I dropped her off at 8:30 at the school for a day at Elitches with her school band and choir groups for a music festival.  Unfortunately for Eileen, she doesn't have a very strong stomach and threw up after the first ride and didn't go on many after that.  She kept sending me texts throughout the day that she hated it and didn't want to go again.  But the choir and the band both performed well and got a gold rating, so she was excited about that at least!  The younger kids still had piano lessons in the morning, then in the afternoon, we headed over to the church for the graduation party for one of the young women.  It was a lot of fun and there was of course great food!  After we headed home in time for me to get ready for my last pre-baby concert and head out.  The concert again went well and after I went home and begged for a food massage....

Sunday was wonderful.  It was fast and testimony meeting day and Evie and Anna both got up and bore testimony.  Sunday School was great and Relief Society was wonderful.  Aaron had a bit of a hard day and I got called out to talk to him near the end of church, but otherwise all was well!  After church was lunch and I was getting some stuff ready for choir then we had choir practice.  It went well and I'm excited about getting to be in this calling.  I may not be a great director - but I love the music and I love the chance to share that love and excitement!  We had the elders over for dinner tonight and had a wonderful lesson from them.

Where has April Gone?

This week was a bit on the crazy side - and it's only getting crazier from here.  The kids have all the end of school year stuff going on next month and next month is almost here!  So we started the week off by looking at the calendar and putting everything down for the week.  Monday, Dan was still out of town - but he got home in the evening just in time to help me fold the laundry.  James and I did a bit of shopping earlier in the day - so we folded clothes and headed to bed.  

Tuesday, James had preschool and I had a nap.  Then in the afternoon, we had the usual after school stuff - choir for Eileen and piano practicing for the kids.  In the evening, I got to go to institute which was wonderful.  

Wednesday the kids had late start day at school.  James had a dentist appointment.  He was so cute - he was so excited to be there and was really great!  Dan also had a dentist appointment.  Then James and I went and did the grocery shopping for the week.  After school was the usual, and in the evening, was choir and activity days and young men/young womens.  

Thursday was a bit crazy, we started out with James going to preschool, then while he was there, I had an appointment with the OB, then after school, Aaron had an orthodontist appointment - he finally got his spacer out and next time, he will be getting a couple more brackets on his teeth.  Then in the evening, Aaron had cub scouts and I had a YW camp meeting.  

Friday was finally a nice slow-ish day for us.  I went to get my allergy shot and James was great, then we headed home to take it easy until we got the kids from school.  After school, the kids did piano practicing and then we played and had fun.  Evie and James had fun making animals out of blocks and insisted that I take a picture of them.  Then we had a nice quiet evening at home!  

Saturday started out normal.  Flute lessons, piano lessons and then lunch time.  Dan and Eileen went out to run some errands and then came home for a nice quiet evening of games and fun.  It snowed Friday evening and most of Saturday, so we were all content to stay snuggled up inside - nice and warm!

Sunday we had a nice morning with Dan not having meetings then headed to church.  It was nice to see some friends from the Peoria ward come and get to chat with them.  Classes and lessons and talks were great and we had a combined 3rd hour, so I even got to sit with my hubby!  I got released as YW camp director and called as the Ward Music Chairperson and Choir Director, which meant that I got to step in as choir director during practice this afternoon and I had a great time!  We had a good turn out which was great and I hope all went well!  Then we had the new camp director and her assistant and their husbands over in the evening for dinner and for me to talk to them and hand everything over and answer any questions that they might have.  I hope that I gave them everything they need - papers, information and support - they are going to be awesome though and the girls will have a great time!  Then we all sat down to a fun and yummy dinner.   In the evening, we got to chat with Dan's parents for a bit which was great and had fun talking about all that this crazy upcoming summer holds.

Week of Changes

This has been a fun week of changes.  Monday started out normal enough, laundry to do, James to play with, kids at school.  Dan had sold his car and was trying to make do with his motorcycle, so thankfully weather has mostly been good.  James and I made a grocery store trip to get stuff for dinner.  After the usual after-school bustle to get stuff done, Dan was awesome and came home a little early to help get dinner and the house ready for friends.  We had the Wests over for dinner and cake and games.  The food was all super yummy, the little birthday for Kay was fun and company was just awesome!  We had a great family home evening together, then after a great evening, we settled down to fold laundry.

Tuesday, James' preschool group had a field trip instead of a normal preschool day.  We went to the zoo and had a great time!  Plus he was cute and cuddly and wanting to hold my hand the whole time which made it more fun.  The afternoon was the usual and then in the evening, I had institute class which was wonderful as always!

Wednesday was a crazy day.  I had to go in for the 3 hour glucose test at my OB-gyn.  Dan and I were trying to figure out how to orchestrate this with just one car and my poor planning as to time and date.  Finally, he just worked from home in the morning - dropped me off at my appointment in the morning, then went home and took the kids to school for late start, watched James and then came back to pick me up after the appointment and get us some lunch.  The test was mostly uneventful.  They drew blood, made me drink the nasty sugary drink stuff, then drew blood every hour for the next 3 hours.  With no James - I spent my time crocheting and listening to podcasts.  I felt fine all through the test - then during lunch the blood loss and lack of food since the night before plus the usual pregnancy fatigue caught up to me and I was not doing so well, so Dan continued to work from home and let me sleep until we had to get the kids from school.  In the evening, I had choir as usual and once again, we struggled to make it all work with only 1 car and a motorcycle.

Thursday was the usual - preschool for James and the kids at school.  I got to have a friend and her daughter come over for lunch which was lots of fun.  Then I got a few texts from Dan - asking for a ride home from work, when I asked if something was wrong with the motorcycle, he explained that he had sold that too and oh by the way - we may need to get a new car this weekend.  :)  It turned out to be a good thing since later that afternoon - it began to rain hard.  He wouldn't have wanted to ride the bike home in that anyway.  We have been thinking about and planning on a new car for awhile, but things all seemed to come together for this to be the time.

Friday, I took Dan in to work in the morning and James and I mostly just took it easy at home.  He colored, I crocheted and we chatted.  After school, I picked up Dan from work, then we had an early dinner and Eileen babysat while we headed out to look at some used cars.  We had mostly decided on what we wanted already, we just needed to look at the one we wanted and make sure it was right and give it a little test drive.  So by the time we got home that night, we were the proud new owners of a mini cooper.

I think it was just the fun of a new car that made all the driving we had to do on Saturday bearable.  In the morning, Dan took Aaron and Anna to Walmart to get presents for the birthday parties they were invited to.  Eileen didn't have flute, but the kids still had piano lessons.  Anna had a music festival at the mall where she was singing with her school choir, then she had a birthday party to go to, then Aaron had a birthday party to go to and of course, they both needed picking up after.  :)  In the evening, Dan and I went out to dinner with the Haights.  We went to a Korean BBQ place that we'd been wanting to try.  The food was great and we had a great time chatting and hanging out together with friends.

Today, Dan had meetings in the morning, then the kids and I got ready and met him at church for a wonderful Sacrament meeting.  After, Dan headed to the airport for a quick overnight trip for a meeting.  The kids headed off to Primary and Sunday School, and I headed to teach.  Then during 3rd hour, I got to go to a teacher council meeting which was great.  After church, we went home for lunch and some time together before heading back to the church for ward choir.  Then we went back home to play some games and then eat dinner.  After the younger kids went to bed, Eileen and Anna and I stayed up and crocheted together for a bit and had a fun time chatting and crocheting!

Happy Easter

This has been a long and crazy week.  It started with my glucose test on Monday - which meant a nasty sugar drink in the morning followed by a blood draw, which made me tired the rest of the day.  Then we still had the rest of the day of laundry and grocery shopping and such ahead.  Also at my appointment - we set a date for induction of labor - this baby is officially coming on June 26th!

Tuesday, James had preschool, Becca and Laura came over and Dan even came home for lunch!  Then in the evening was the Youth Temple Trip.  Sister Cottrell babysat for us while I went with Dan and Eileen to the temple!  It was wonderful - especially since we had some amazing couples from our ward making their first trip to the temple for baptisms!  After, we did the traditional donut stop at Krispie Kreme before heading home and to bed!  

Wednesday was full of errands in the morning - James and I made stops at Costco, Walgreens and the Pacific Market before heading home for lunch.  In the evening, I had choir - I carpooled with Christina and as always enjoyed having grown-up conversations.  Choir was wonderful!  

Thursday was another preschool day for James - and I spent that time napping.  I feel a LOT better - but I still feel like I'm trying to shake the remains of this cold.  :(  In the evening, Aaron had cub scouts and Dan had a meeting.  We also got to have the missionaries over for dinner.  Eileen (with a little help) did most of dinner using a new recipe from a young women's activity.  She did a great job!  

Friday was a pretty typical morning.  Then in the evening, we went on a group date with Becca and Jeremiah and Natasha and Eldon.  We had a fun time trying to figure out how to get out and made it with some help from the clues - just in time!  We also had a yummy dinner at a BBQ joint nearby before.  Eileen was at a young women's sleepover, so we had the amazing Sister Cottrell babysitting for us again.  

Saturday was a fun and busy day - Dan picked up Eileen and took her to flute lessons, then the kids had piano lessons, then I went to the church to play piano for a baptism.  After, we all went back to the church for the Activity Day Girls parent/girls lunch.  We had fun eating yummy nachos and running silly relay races - where Anna and Dan kicked some serious tushy!  Then we headed home for a slightly more quiet evening.  

Sunday was wonderful!  The talks in Sacrament Meeting were wonderful, I think my lesson went pretty well and Relief Society was great!  After, we headed home for lunch and a little nap before some Easter fun.  The kids made Easter scenes out of Legos and then Eileen hid eggs for her siblings to find.  The kids enjoyed their fun Easter baskets courtesy of a very sweet lady in our ward.  Then after a yummy dinner of pancakes, we did a fun Easter activity that Sister Cottrell had made with our kids while she was babysitting.  It was a carton of plastic easter eggs with scriptures on the outside and things representing the scripture on the inside.  So tonight, we read the scriptures together and opened the eggs and talked about the Easter story!  It was a wonderful way to close the day!  After the younger kids went to bed, Dan and Eileen had fun making an Angel Food Cake for our dessert tomorrow and then the three of us played a quick game of Dominion before sending Eileen to bed.  

Home Sweet Home

Monday, we began our drive home.  Dan had been gone for nearly 2 weeks by this point and was glad to go home at last.  We stopped at Little America for lunch, then made a quick stop at Steve and Claire's - we wanted to say hi to Gene and Ann, but I did't want to spread my sickies (plus James was starting to get it too) around their house with a new baby coming soon.  So we picked up some stuff we left last time, and got back on the road.  We made a quick Wendy's stop for dinner since there was very little food in the house, then we got home, did scriptures and prayers and all went to bed!

Tuesday was our laundry day.  James was not feeling great and went to bed as soon as we got home and slept in late the next day, so we took it easy and didn't go to preschool.  Becca still came over though, and we had a fun time working on blankets.  Baby Laura is really getting mobile now!  By evening, I was wishing I could go to Institute, but I was still coughing like crazy and I was still dizzy and not wanting to spread the cold any further, so I stayed home and went to bed.

Wednesday was more of the same.  James and I taking it easy and trying to get better and me skipping out on choir because I still didn't feel any better.

Thursday things were finally starting to feel like a different kind of icky - feeling more like stuff was changing and hopefully for the better.  Aaron had cub scouts in the evening.  James and I spent more time snuggling and resting.

Friday things finally seemed like they were on the upswing.  I decided to attempt going to the tech rehearsal for the final Lamb of God performance.  My voice wasn't full strength - but it was use-able.  The rehearsal went well enough for me to be optimistic about the concert on Saturday.

Saturday morning started out with flute and piano lessons, plus the final practice for the Stake fireside.  It went pretty well considering - everyone sounded wonderful!  Then I went home and crashed for a bit before the concert that night.  The final Lamb of God was wonderful!  The place was beautiful and packed and the whole thing went as well for me as I could expect.

Today was wonderful - church was awesome - Fast and Testimony meeting was beautiful and lessons were wonderful!  After, we had ward choir and then the Parables fireside.  The whole fireside was beautiful.  The spirit was strong - the church was full and singers and narrators did a wonderful job!  It was so neat to get to do this amazing program again and with such talented people!

And more insanity....

This week was Spring Break for all the kids.  By this point in Dan being out of town, I was exhausted, and we needed to get a lot of packing and such done to get ready for our trip to Utah.  Dan called Monday with the news that instead of coming home on Tuesday, he now needed to go somewhere else to fix an emergency that had cropped up.  So instead of coming home - he was going to end up meeting us in Utah.  So Eileen and Anna were my super helpers as I tried to get everything ready for the trip despite my foggy prego brain.

Tuesday was more prep - we did most of the clothes packing since laundry had gotten done on Monday.  Otherwise we mostly took it easy - some of the kids were at the beginning stages of a cold and we didn't want to spread it and wanted to get better before our trip!

Wednesday was more of the same, plus Sister Cottrell babysitting so I could go to choir and Eileen having young womens activities.  Choir was wonderful and I had a fun ride over with Christina to chat.  After I got home the girls and I tried to get everything ready for the next day that we possibly could.

Thursday morning, we finished loading the van and headed out to Utah.  We had a mostly uneventful trip, with a quick ice cream break at Little America and with me starting to come down with the cough that the kids had gotten earlier.  We arrived in time for a late dinner at Paul and Candace's house.

Friday, my coughing was getting worse - but we still went in the afternoon with Paul and Bianca and Dan and I and Eileen to the Salt Lake temple to do baptisms.  It was so wonderful being in the temple with family members doing work for our ancestors!  We had a fun evening of playing games together.
Saturday morning, bright and early, Dan and I took Eileen and Anna and Candace to the first session of conference.  It was really neat because we got there early enough that we got to listen to the choir having a last rehearsal before conference started!  After, we headed back to Paul and Candace's for lunch and the rest of conference.  I was really starting to feel icky by this point and limited in what I could take medicine-wise - I resorted to trying to sleep it off.

Sunday was more amazing sessions of conference and more of me being sick and coughing a lot (which gets really uncomfortable when you are pregnant) and me sleeping between the sessions.  About 2 in the morning - I realized that the coughing was so bad that I wasn't going to be able to sleep, so we looked online to see if there was any safe cough syrup for pregnant ladies - then I headed out to Walmart to find some.  I finally managed to get some sleep thankfully.

Insanity

This week has been totally insane.  It started with Monday which included the normal Monday busyness, plus Dan getting ready to leave town, plus the tech rehearsal for Lamb of God.  

Dan left town Tuesday morning and then in the evening, the kids had a babysitter from the ward come to watch the younger 3 kids while I took Eileen and Anna to the opening night of Lamb of God.  After, I had to get home so we couldn't do our usual dessert fun, but they enjoyed the concert.  

Wednesday was another concert day - plus Eileen having young women, so Sister Cottrell was kind enough to be the babysitter that night, then Thursday again with Eileen babysitting.  

Friday the kids school was doing a fun Moana movie night at the school, so we went and had a fun time watching a great movie and hanging out with friends.

James' preschool was on spring break this week and next, so we didn't have any preschool for him.

Saturday was just me trying to keep my head above water and get some things done around the house that needed to be done but hadn't been because of the crazy schedule.  In the evening, was the Women's General Broadcast Session of conference.  I took all the kids and let the younger ones play in the nursery while Eileen and Anna and I got to watch the broadcast.  It was the perfectly peaceful and wonderful cap to an otherwise crazy week!

Sunday was normal church awesomeness.  Plus choir and then a stake choir practice to get ready for the Stake Parables Fireside.  All with out a hubby to watch the kids - but Eileen was so sweet during the short break between church and choir - Eileen watched her siblings and told me to go take a nap - I have such an amazing daughter!!

Keeping busy!

This week has been busy as usual.  Monday was the normal laundry and shopping.  Eileen actually came with me for the grocery shopping this week, which was kinda fun.  The missionaries came over for dinner - but Anna and I had to sneak out early to take Anna to the school Cultural Fair where she was singing with her school choir.  She did a great job and the fair was a lot of fun to see.  Plus it led to some fun discussions with Anna about her ancestry and where they come from.  

Tuesday, preschool was at our house.  We did an outer space day.  We sang space songs, read space books and make astronaut pudding - which the kids loved.  All in all - it went well!  After school, Aaron had an orthodontist appointment - which was good since he had broken the wire on his braces just a couple days before.  He did great and things are looking good so far!   It was Stake Temple night - but due to feminine issues we had to put off baptisms until later in the week.  So Dan and I went in the evening to do a session.  It was wonderful to go and to see some Stake friends there too.  

Wednesday was the usual craziness.  Late start for the kids, then James and I made a Costco trip, knowing that we needed to at some point and we wouldn't have much time later.  After school was the usual, then in the evening, choir and youth activities.  At least my super-fix-it-husband was able to get his car going again.  

Thursday, we did our preschool field trip to DMNS.  The kids had a great time.  They loved out space area after our fun Space lessons, then they had fun looking at the dinosaurs and in the discovery zone.  At that point - it was about lunch time, and I was exhausted!!!!  So we headed home!  In the evening, Aaron had cub scouts and Anna had her 5th grade music program.  

She had a lot of fun playing her recorder and her Ukelele and showing me all her favorite parts of music.  We even got to play on a cello and violin.  

Friday was mostly just James and me running errands in the morning.  I needed to get my allergy shot and then we had to run by Stapleton Pediatrics to get a form signed by the doctor.  After school, Eileen and Dan went down to the temple so Eileen could do baptisms.  On the way home they stopped at Ikea for loft beds for the boys.  In the evening, we got the kids fed, then Dan and I went on a little dinner date!

Saturday was piano and organ lessons (no flute this week) and then an afternoon of cleaning up around the house, and building loft beds for the boys.  Dan and I made a goodwill trip and were excited to find 99 cent jean days so we stocked up for a couple of the kids needing more pants and/or shorts.  Then in the evening, we got pizza and did a pizza and movie night.  We all watched Moana together and had a great time!

Today was wonderful.  The talks were awesome, I think my lesson went pretty well and Eileen gave her first lesson in young women's.  She did a great job and didn't panic too much.  I think she is really glad it's over - but she really did a great job!  After church, I rested and the kids played, then Eileen and Anna and I went to stake choir.  Dan did home teaching then we had a quick dinner before Dan and Eileen headed off to a youth fireside.  When they got home, Eileen and Dan and I played a little game of Dominion before sending Eileen to bed - now it's my turn!

Recovery

Monday was the day appointed for everyone to head home.  My mom took off bright and early to get an early start on her drive home.  My dad flew out later that morning.  Sandi and Kai had an early afternoon flight, but it got delayed until early evening, so we got to spend a bit more time with them!
Dan and I have been talking and trying to figure out how we are going to settle things when the baby gets here and that lead to a big house rearranging project.  Dan spent some time over the weekend moving stuff around and then finished up this week.  We now have all our bookshelves downstairs in a library type room.  We moved the recliner and tv upstairs to the room that used to have the bookshelves.  We rearranged the music room a bit to make a little more room in there during piano (and organ) lessons.

Tuesday James had preschool, Becca came over to crochet and play and we had our usual fun Tuesday kind of day.  Anna has choir after schoo.  School work and piano practicing after school.  Playing outside and enjoying the beautiful weather.  All sorts of fun.  The kids especially love checking for eggs - we get 5-6 eggs every day now, and they love to collect them!

Wednesday was usual busy - late start for school, Eileen's school choir is after school on Wednesday. And of course in the evening, I have choir, Eileen has young women's, Dan had young men's, Anna had activity days.  I had to be at choir early for the committee meeting - but Dan's car wasn't working, so I got a ride with Christina.

Thursday, James had preschool again and I spent the time he was at preschool napping.  After school, Eileen had her Teens for Oceans meeting and of course, the usual after school stuff.  

Friday, the kids were off school.  We spent most of the late morning and early afternoon at the park with the Smith's and the Pugh's having fun and running around.  Then we got home and got down to some serious cleaning.  I spent most of the afternoon in the boys room helping them get it actually clean.

Saturday was more of the usual.  Piano and organ lessons for the kids, Flute lessons for Eileen.  Then the afternoon spent cleaning and playing and getting ready for Sunday.  In the afternoon I went to a baby shower and had a fun time.

Sunday as usual was wonderful.  Wonderful talks given.  My lesson seemed to go well and the Relief Society lesson was wonderful.  After church, we had ward choir and family time.  It's really cute because Eileen tries to make sure I get some nap time on Sundays too - she is so cute when she's trying to take care of me.  :)

Busy Week

This week has been rather crazy.  Dan was out of town for the week.  Monday was the usual Monday crazies - lots of laundry and lots of piano practicing.  Eileen watched the Great British Baking show with me while I folded laundry.  She liked the show but said it made her really hungry.  :)

Tuesday James had preschool.  Becca came over to hang out in the morning and James and I were excited to have them over!  This is him posing for the camera.  Also my mom got into town to help out for a few days.  Institute was cancelled for the night, so I got to stay home and chat with her.

Wednesday was the usual business - late start day for the kids, I did some grocery shopping for the rest of the week and then after school usual stuff - including choir for Eileen, Then choir for me in the evening, Eileen didn't have young women's though since it was on Thursday.

Thursday, James had preschool again, I got a little nap in, Dan got home, Sandi and Kai got in, The kids had their Dr. Seuss birthday celebration after school, then in the evening, was the youth activity.  My mom watched the kids so I could go too.  We all went to see a musical that one of the youth was in.  We saw "In The Heights."  It was really pretty well done, and the young woman from our ward that was in it did an awesome job.

Friday, Dan got the day off.  Sandi took the kids to the park in the morning, then Dan took me out to lunch, then I met the kids at the park along with a friend from church.  After school, Eileen had her chamber music festival at the school and did a flute solo again.  I accompanied her this time - once again she got a superior rating - she did a wonderful job and the judge was really impressive and helpful in giving her pointers to do even better!  In the evening, Dan and I went to see "In the Heights" again - this time at another school with a different amazingly talented young person from our ward.  We've now been to 3 high school theater productions in the last month - one at each of the major high schools in the area.  It's been fun getting to go on so many dates with Dan!  

Saturday was the beginning of crazy family weekend.  The kids spent some more time at the park, (the weather was amazing this week) my dad arrived, we went over to Stuart and Rebecca's for a family dinner to celebrate all the birthdays.  On top of that my mom was in charge of putting together a video of Grandpa's life for this weekend and she spent a lot of time of it.  To help out - me, Sandi and the kids all lent our voices to background music.  After that full day, we all kinda collapsed when we got home :)

Sunday was another big day.  Eileen and Anna and James went with Dan to Stake Conference.  Eileen and Anna were singing in the choir.  Evelyn and James went with me to Grandpa's church to hear him speak, then we all got back together for a early Sunday dinner (lunch) before heading over to Grandpa's 90th birthday party.  It was fun to see so many family and friends and we had a fun time chatting and playing.  For some reason though, the kids didn't want their picture taken....  Except Evie who always wants her picture taken....

After a long exhausting weekend - we are all ready for an early night and a good rest!