It's been awhile since I've done a check up with the dermatologist so I went in for an exam and she was concerned about the black spot on my lip. I told her it's been there for 20 years but she wanted to do a biopsy. I didn't think the biopsy would completely remove it, but it did. Huh. Not sure how to feel about it! She also did one of a little skin tag on my left shin. Both came back negative!
SPRING BREAK!!!
Kate and Gracey wanted to do a cake competition so I brought the kids over to help decide a winner!
We joined in on a dunes trip! It's been years since we've gone and the boys were SO excited. It was us, Casey and his boys, my parents, Marcie's family, David's family and Katie and Jefferson and Bentley. The Shumways were also there! It was a quick one. We drove over Friday morning and stayed til late, then slept at a hotel in Yuma and played all Saturday before driving home before dinner. Travis rented a RZR and they boys had nonstop fun. I was happy to just visit and snack. I went on one tiny ride into the first part of the dunes with Travis and Olive and Tanner so they could play in the sand. We hit up the ice cream truck multiple times. My cousin Jonathan and his buddies came over to visit for a while.
The church is offering free virtual tours of the church history sites so we've been signing up for a few! We did Sharon, Vermont and the Sacred Grove. The kids don't pay great attention and our connection is sometimes spotty but I love that we can do this!
I redid my recipe book (So. MUCH. Work.) and I came across tons of dessert recipes I haven't made in forever. Fried pies being one. They are a good amount of work but oh man. So yummy. I made homemade apple and cherry filling too and I have to say, they were exceptionally good. so tender and flaky. I think someone told me I should sell them, haha. No way.
There's no party like an Arizona Grand party! Grandma treated us and a treat it was! I think we cleaned them out of nachos and pina coladas! My favorite was the hot tub.
Shelley and I met up in Cavecreek at the Blue Wash Trailhead for a little hike-a-roo to a small waterfall. Perfect hike when you have small kids with you. What would we do without our Goodman adventure buddies?!
Kristen and I have been long overdue for a girl's night. We tried a new place called Cream of the Crop in Agritopia, then sat outside and shared our hearts. She's the type of friend that's not hard to do.
What time is is, Mr. Fox?! Oh, time for your birthday party??! ;)
Olive and Tanner were invited to Fox's birthday party at Altitude and I brought the older boys too because right afterward, Travis was taking them snowboarding for the weekend! He also took Lane and Rusty. Prices sure have gone up since the last time they went, but after a year of Covid, they more than deserved this outing. It was actually this exact time last year that the whole world shut down. Crazy to think it's been a whole year. Weston skied and the rest snowboarded. Travis says they're getting pretty good. They drove up Thursday night so they would have two solid days to play.
I'd been craving a Matta's bean burrito and it just hasn't been good getting it take out, so we went and ate inside. Turns out, it wasn't great inside either. Oh well! I may have officially given up on Mattas. It was kind of fun just going out, the three of us. Still a few tantrums I could have done without.
Olive had her last volleyball game on Saturday morning. She had to miss several games through the season (I knew adding one more thing to the schedule was overdoing it) but I'm glad she had this experience. She loved playing with Posey and Layla and had a great coach, Brad Farr.
I actually didn't get to watch the game because Tanner had woken up sick and was coughing nonstop. So I sat in the car with him while she played. It was strange because he was fine last night, but this cough just got worse and worse throughout the day. By evening, he was really struggling. Lethargic and weepy and not breathing well. I managed to pick up some dinner, but after Olive and I ate, his quick, shallow breathing was worrying me. Travis was still gone with the boys and I didn't know what to do. He had fallen asleep on me and every time he breathed in, his stomach sucked in and his ribs showed. I called the pediatrician's after hours line and spoke with a nurse who told me I needed to take him to Cardon Children's hospital. I dropped Olive off at my parent's house first. While we were driving, he told me he was going to throw up! I had nothing with me so I threw open the console and dumped out a bag of those grippy socks I keep on hand for trampoline parks. I handed him the gallon zip lock bag and told him to throw up in that. Which he did. And what a champ, he got it all in the bag! Not a drop on himself! We pulled into the parking lot around 7pm and it was cold and rainy and a loud, volatile couple was being handled by police in the parking lot. I was feeling scared for Tanner, but glad he was going to get help. First had to answer all the stupid covid questions at registration. Luckily, they didn't seem busy at all. We were roomed right away. They ended up doing a lung x-ray in the room but it didn't show any pneumonia. He was so sick and limp that having to lay on that bed in the ER for 6 hours was no problem. He easily summitted to all their poking and prodding as we watched American Idol. The only test he reacted to was the stupid covid test they jammed up his nose. Poor guy! They brought in a second nurse just to hold him down even though they didn't need to. And when I asked if they could do a flu test they hummed and hawed and said they couldn't because their hospitals don't do flu tests anymore, because "there is no more flu". I kid you not, I was told that by our nurse and doctor. Even though the doctor seemed super sketchy about it when he tried to explain it to me. As though the presence of Covid just magically made a whole other virus disappear. And people wonder why we don't trust the government or the news! Then why are flu shots still being given at every pharmacy and Target in the valley, I'd like to know! Anyway the covid test came back negative. They put him on a breathing treatment to see if it would help. After an hour it seemed to make a small improvement. So they upped the dose and did it again. Finally, maybe around 1 or 2am they said he wasn't really ready to be released but it was up to me. I could take him home and continue the treatments or we could stay to keep monitoring him. I chose to go home. Travis had been stuck in terrible traffic getting home from Flagstaff but thankfully was home. I think a 3 hour drive ended up taking them 6. Olive stayed the night at my mom's house which was really nice. I was so worried about Tanner I slept next to him all night. We continued the breathing treatments for a couple days and he gradually got better. Thank goodness for modern medicine.
I didn't even get to see Collin on his birthday because of the hospital trip, but he had a great day. He chose crepes for his birthday brunch on Sunday and we finished celebrating the next weekend at his party!
St. Patricks day craft for school!
The older class has been having fun doing different country studies and I think this one might have been China??
They made a movie out of The Lamb of God and it was showing at Harkins theaters. First time we've been to the movies in a year! You know my love for this music and we've seen this symphony in person and yet this production blew me away! It was a masterpiece. Incredibly powerful and moving. I cried through the whole thing. It was the perfect way for us to kick off this Easter season.
Collin had his birthday party Friday night. We started with pizza at our house, then we drove them all to Krazy Air for 2 hours of sweaty fun. (I even left and did some Easter {and more} shopping while Trav stayed. Marvelous.) Back to our house for cake and presents. Collin wanted a Buffalo Bills cake and even helped with the decorating! He invited Rusty, Howie Grimsley, Lincoln Monahan, McGuire and Graham Law and Cruz Hill. It was a pretty easy party, which was wonderful. Here's what I wrote about Collin on Instagram.....
Do you see the look he’s giving me??
He’s as unsure about me as I was about him.
And if I’m being 100% honest. Raising him has nearly killed me.
Truly.
I used to picture my headstone. All it would say is “He wore me out.”
To even try and describe the first 8 years of his life would make me jittery with PTSD. And I’m not being dramatic.
But here he is turning 12.
And 12 feels like a big birthday to me.
We made it to TWELVE, people.
And he didn’t kill me.
And I didn’t kill him.
And now I’d dare say.
He’s one of my best friends.
And biggest blessings.
He’s headstrong and stubborn and thinks he knows best.
He’s also a natural leader, incredibly compassionate, thoughtful, confident and creative.
If you know Collin, you know he’s HAPPY. An entertainer. A talker. A questioner. He demands attention and commands a room. He is energy personified. He also notices when I’m feeling off and will quietly ask what’s wrong and give me a hug.
He loves chicken wings, drawing and arguing. He always makes sure he has a gift to give everyone on Christmas and their birthdays.
He has as many freckles as he does reasons why he should get a phone. I don’t worry about the teenager years because he has no filter and can’t help himself from telling me everything.
One of my favorite qualities about him is he’s always telling me what he’s looking forward to the most that day. It might just be what we’re having for dinner that night but doggone it, he’s going to be excited about *something*.
This past year he was musing about the future and where in the country he might like to move when he grows up, and I swear to you right now, my heart literally ripped in two.
I felt like the stump in The Giving Tree. “And she loved the little boy very much. Even more than she loved herself.” Except I’m not ready to give him up. And I guess I don’t have to... yet.
So if you have yourself a colicky baby. Or a toddler who drives you crazy. Or a kid who challenges your mental health. Hang in there. I get you!! I really believe these children are strong willed for a reason. It gets better. They age like fine wine. Even if they make you want to drink it sometimes. 😉
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Olive was thrilled to be invited to Lindi's simultaneous birthday- fun day! Lindi got her ears pierced, then the whole family went to a teppanyaki place! The girls' reactions to the fire are hysterical!
Lindi's baptism was the next morning. She got to have a private baptism (one positive to Covid) and she asked to me to be the only speaker! I was honored! And nervous, haha! I spent a lot of time preparing and thinking about what to say. I had a little object lesson with a bag of cotton candy and a package of wet wipes. The cotton candy represented how life can be sweet and fun but also messy and sticky. So we have baptism and the sacrament to help us stay clean (the wet wipes). I put my heart into my talk and I hope she felt it! I also had the privilege of taking her baptism pictures. She's such a beauty and it was so fun getting these shots! We had to be a little creative because the temple gates were locked (boo!) but the field next to it turned out to be perfect at sunset!
That night I got to celebrate Camillas (40th) birthday, which was last year, but well, covid ruined my plans! I searched high and low and finally found a studio open that was does sound baths. It was way out in Scottsdale. Basically, a sound bath is like listening to those nature sounds on white noise machines, but in person. We each had a soft mat to lay on and blankets and pillows to get comfy. She talked us through a relaxing meditation, then she started the "music". The idea is to quiet your mind and really unwind. I was unwinding just fine until she started the "ocean waves". Done right, it sounds really beautiful! She, however, she crashed those waves so fast and loud they sounded like a rush of traffic in my eardrums. Kind of surprising she didn't realize this. Ah well., it was an experience for sure.
Next, we got dinner at Chelsea's Kitchen which I've been wanting to try for a long time. Very happenin' place.
Finally, we grabbed some Mesa Frozen and ended the night at Evan Hogle's house for some jewelry making! This seems to be a popular thing to do right now, but I figured I'd rather pay Evan than a trendy place downtown. It was really cool seeing his shop in the backyard. He is a VERY neat and organized fella! It took about 3ish hours from start to finish before we had our very own, matching, friendship rings! I never took jewelry class in high school so the whole process was new and interesting to me. Evan was very thorough in teaching us every step. I love how they turned out!
Weston and Collin opening birthday presents from Grandma the same way Shelley and I always did.. back to back
Abbey's Grandpa died and I was so glad I was able to attend his funeral. It was really well done. Each child's talk was inspiring and meaningful. I loved hearing how he loved his wife. They emphasized how much he cared for other people and challenged all of us to show an interest in someone like he always did. I also liked his "Barry-isms" Upward and Onward! Trav rearranged his schedule so he could be there too which was nice.
My study spot. I really tried to up my scripture and study time to prepare for Easter. So many resources! Never enough time!
I know I have a million of these stuffed animal pictures but I can't stop, won't stop. They are so cute!!!
It was teh 100th day of school for these kids!!! Our hair must celebrate with us.
It was mamacita's birthday so we gathered to eat at First Watch and drink our fancy juices. She's got one more year in her 50's! We love our mom! And dad loves to steal my glasses and imitate Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, ha!
It's Easter season so why not use jelly beans to learn graphing?!
Can't get over my garden. The fact that it is growing things never stops blowing my mind. Brussel sprouts!!! We have sprouts, people!!
Juggling the older class while running Tanner to and from preschool can sometimes be challenging, but I love my time with these older kids. I always try to plan fun activities. Rice crispie egg nests turned out cute!
Sawyer and Ruth are graduating from high school and Sawyer asked if I'd take her senior pictures. I was a little nervous because I've never done senior pictures before! And from the trends I saw online, the candid, breezy, not looking at the camera poses are "in". But I think she preferred traditional shots so we did it all! Downtown Gilbert had lots of good places. I'm always so stressed when I download them that nothing will turn out, but I really liked these ones!
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