August

On our last day of summer we met the Goodmans at a pool in Chandler to swim the day away. It was one of the only ones still open. Super bugs that all the pools around here close down so early. It's Arizona for heavens sakes! It's going to be swimming weather for another two months!

Tanner was a champ! I kept in the shade most of the time and let his feet dangle in the water for a bit.

The boys loved having a diving board to play around on.

I spy Shelley and Della!

The night before the first day of school, the boys laid their clothes out and I thought it was super funny. Collin even laid out a different pair of underwear, lol. I told him he could just wear the same ones he went to bed in but he said these were his "lucky" pair. 

I made Mickey Mouse pancakes like usual and this year they actually ate them! Usually they have first day jitters and don't feel like eating. I told Collin I wasn't going to make them this year because of that and he begged and begged and promised he'd eat them this time. I was surprised he followed through!

I LOVE the first day of school. New clothes, new backpacks, fresh haircuts. Everything is crisp and clean. But most of all, it means the start of normal SCHEDULES!!! I NEED schedules in my life. Having them go to school is like Xanex for me. Plus, they had been fighting and watching so much TV. I love you both, but BU- BYE! 

  

I was super proud of myself for running on time! I even had five minutes to nurse Tanner in the car before walking them inside. They usually ride the bus, but not on the first day! I want to see them in!

As we were walking in, Collin switched his backpack to just one shoulder and said, "Mom, this is how the cool kids wear them." 

Ohhhh. Well then.

Seeing them get off the bus and excitedly run to me pretty much makes my day. 

I got Swig cookies for a special after-school snack. 

On the second day of school they had on different, new outfits and I couldn't help myself. Don't judge me. 

Marcie gave me this onsie because Travis and I call each other our lobsters. (FRIENDS reference). I thought it was super cute. Then one day I looked at them and it dawned on me. They're crabs. Not lobsters. Hahahaha. Well, she got it in the shell fish category at least. Maybe I should start calling Trav, my crab. 

Grandma Pomegranate snuggles! Warms my heart! 

Olive is starting her second year of preschool with Mrs. Leavitt. We sure love her! And my goodness, that pose. 

On Aug. 8 our nephew, Joshua, passed away. We knew that he was getting close to the end of his life so we had planned on going over to their house that evening to see him one, last time. Weston had been crying the night before because he wanted to see Joshua again before he died. There was a Cub scout pool party that I took the kids to that evening and while we were there Travis called me to tell me the news. I was shocked. I thought we had more time. At least another day or two. I couldn't believe that we had missed seeing him alive by just an hour. I quickly gathered up the kids and rushed home to pick up Travis and Tanner so we could head over. I was having such a hard time processing everything. He had been diagnosed not quite a year before. I was initially devastated, seeing it as a death sentence, but I learned to have hope. Then, when so many rounds of chemo didn't work and they were told there was nothing else they could do, I cried and cried and gave up my hope. When they found one more chemo treatment that made him well enough to get his miracle bone marrow transplant, I'll admit I didn't believe in a positive outcome. Then, it seemed to work and he was declared "cancer free" and allowed to go home. I couldn't believe it. I was beyond happy of course, but I also felt terrible. I hadn't believed it would work. It was like, I didn't dare believe. It hurts so badly when your hopes are dashed. I had cried so much. I didn't think I could ride this rollercoaster again. But the transplant had worked and we all praised God for miracles. I think there was just a couple months of happiness before the cancer returned. They hoped to get him into a study with an experimental drug, but they weren't accepted. One week before he died, the doctors sent him home, telling his parents there was nothing else they could do and just enjoy the time they had left with him. I actually got that news when I was at the pool with the kids and Shelley and from that moment until after his funeral, I couldn't find it inside me to feel happy.

 I don't think any of us thought he would pass so quickly. 

When we came inside, they had Joshua in the living room. Brenden was holding him with family surrounding them. We saw Carrie in the kitchen and hugged her first. My heart. OH. I can't describe how I ached inside. How... how do you consul a woman who has just lost her child?? I felt like I was breaking. The whole situation was just incomprehensible. She told us how it had all happened. How she had told him that morning that it was OK.... it was ok for him to leave her. Two days prior she had tried to explain to him that he was going to go back to live with Heavenly Father and he protested. He didn't want to! He wanted to stay with her. We were all in tears as she described how she told him she wanted him to stay with her too. But that morning, she "let him go". And that evening, he closed his eyes while on the couch, holding hands with his older sister, Sawyer, and didn't open them again. 

I walked into the living room and had to stop short to try and compose myself. A sob caught in my throat. I don't know if I've ever felt so overwhelmed with grief. I knelt down and held his foot. His poor little body was pale and swollen. His lips were blistered and scabbed. He had been through so much. Part of me was so grateful he wasn't suffering anymore, but then I was also beyond devastated for Carrie and Brendon. They took turns holding him throughout the night. We gathered around and visited, talking about him and explaining to the younger kids what was happening. There was a very special spirit in the room. I was incredibly grateful that we were able to be there. A couple of hours later, a lady from Hospice came in to check on him. Tanner was getting fussy and needing to go to sleep. It was also a school night so we ended up leaving around 9:30pm. I guess not long after we left, the mortuary came to take him. I really don't know if I could have handled seeing that. The next day, I went over with Karen and Megan to help them plan the funeral. We brought lunch and spent several hours discussing details and what needed to be done. It was all very surreal. You never think you're going to be planning a funeral until you are. 
I'll do a separate post for the viewing and funeral.

Super random, but when I saw this picture I couldn't help but see the resemblance between Prince William and my dad. Hahaha! Do you see it?! Kinda unsettling since I remember thinking Prince William was cute in my younger days. And even MORE unsettling looking at this picture and seeing an "old guy" and realizing he's my age. Oy. 

I put Collin in a dance class.

Don't stress. It's hip hop. ;)

It's hard to see through the double pane glass but he's in the back corner. He feels in over his head because most of these boys have taken for years but I'm trying to encourage him to stick with it. He really wanted to take a break dancing class but I told him he needed to learn hip hop in order to break dance. One of his favorite things to do is put music on in the living room and just dance. Can't imagine where he gets that from. ;)

We had an extended Evans family FHE and Tanner got lots of snuggles.

I'm so gaga over this boy!! Love doing his hair in a little comb over. Seems his eyes are going to be dark!

Sure looks like another little Evans boy we know! This is Collin as a newborn.

I could eat newborn stretches for breakfast!!!!!!

Olive and Posey are besties. They go to preschool together. Primary together. And have at least two playdates a week. It's never enough!

This is out of order since all of the funeral stuff will be in another post, but Carrie's birthday was the day of Joshua's funeral. All the grown-ups went out to eat that evening at Zinburger and had a good time together. 

I'm not sure why I haven't learned, but wearing high heels to church is going to be the end of me. Being the Primary secretary means I'm walking the halls for two hours and these dogs are BARKING by the end of church. I almost can't hobble home. But I found a new use for children. They act like they don't like it, but I know they secretly love serving their mother. ;)

Olive was getting celebrated at the Evans that Sunday night with the other August birthdays!

Grandma got her all sorts of new Barbies.

Our Primary chorister, Lauren Shaw, is always coming up with fun ideas for music time. This particular Sunday the kids got to paint her face as part of a game.  

Tanner finally started smiling around 2 months old. I was starting to get worried for a minute there! I thought he'd smile more around 6 weeks. But since he learned, he really hasn't stopped! 

The week after the boys went back to school, Olive got to go back to preschool! We had ourselves a little photoshoot in the backyard. I don't even have to prompt her, she just throws these poses out like she's on the runway. It's hysterical.

Oh those blue eyes. She is quite darling if I do say so myself.

Hehehe. Tanner has a couple of tank top outfits that give me the giggles. I've never been the biggest fan of boys in tank tops so I don't usually buy them. Rachel gave him this one and I thought it was cute. Almost like an old fashioned men's swimsuit. EVERY time he wore it, Travis would see him and say, "Suns out, guns out!" Every.single.time. Ha! Now it's all I think when I see him in it.

My mouth just watered. We are slowly ticking every restaurant in downtown Gilbert off our list. These tacos and burrito are from Barrio Queen. I was actually surprised at how good it was. The chips were deep fried perfection. You could tell all the sauces and ingredients were homemade. No processed garbage here. It's a different type of Mexican flavor from a place like Gecko Grill, but I really liked it and would go back!

This yellow onsie came in a package of four and I thought it was ugly. Then I put him in it and decided yellow was this boys' color! Sets off his dark features nicely. CooCoo for Tanner puffs over here.

Someone wanted me to take her picture. ;)

Met the girls at Even Stevens (go there. it's yum) for lunch to celebrate birthdays. It was the first time they met my boyfriend and everyone wanted a turn holding him.

I'm going to try really hard to not get worked up writing about this, lol. I woke up one morning to a freakin' SCORPION inches from my head. BLAHHHHH!! I didn't have my contacts in, so I started to get up when the dark color caught my eye. Just a blob, really. I stopped dead in my tracks and got closer. 

It was the BIGGEST, NASTIEST scorpion I've seen since we moved in. On my beautiful, new headboard. Feet from my beautiful, new baby. FURY boiled inside me. I simultaneously wanted to vomit and beat the crap out of it. I almost didn't dare leave it to go grab a shoe but I didn't have anything else at my disposal. Luckily, it didn't move. I have been scared of killing scorpions in the past but with no hesitation, I smushed and ground that evil piece of sh@$ for a good 15 seconds. I wish I could have killed it ten times over!!! Arggghhhh! Devil creatures!!!!! I immediately called and canceled my pest control services. Someone had to share in the suffering. I asked around for a good company and Green Mango was recommended. I almost went with them when my dad told us about this chemical called CY-kick. We have a bug mart a mile from our house so I went to see if they carried it. The guy there told me all about it. Green Mango sprays with natural ingredients. Many of their employees come to his store to buy CY-kick for their own houses. It attacks scorpions central nervous system and kills them within 15 min. of them walking in it. This guy was speaking my language! The more he talked the more gleeful I became. I promptly bought a container and sprayer so I could do this myself. It's WAR. 

Tanner's face when I told him about the scorpion situation.

Happy good morning!!!!