Reagan and Weston have become good buds.
Weston loves to wheelie.
Megan came into town so you know we were hitting up Aubergine and DQ!
You'd think our house was 50 degrees. Teenagers and their hoodies.
Olive got to do baptisms for the dead for the first time! She went with her cousin, Olivia and we got sushi afterward. It was a really special experience. I love her enthusiasm for the temple.
Time for the big, room transformation! I looked at lots of inspiration pictures and collaborated with Olive on what she liked best. We went with a square paneled wall. Travis is amazing and can do anything I ask him to do! He employed Collin's help, however, and one row of boxes was slightly bigger than the others. Oy. After a full day of cutting wood and putting it up, they took out those two rows and redid it.
Olive and I did all the painting.
I made this mobile when Olive was born! 11 years of dust! Sad, not sad, to throw it out!
Ok, here are the before and afters!
Her room was decorated before with thrift store, DIY or hand-me-down furniture and decorations. Also a smattering of things from Hobby Lobby that were marked down 90%. This whole thing was a huge undertaking! I can't imagine remodeling a whole house! It went on for weeks and weeks. Buying and returning multiple clocks and bedspreads. Replacing everything from laundry baskets, bed frames, mattresses, curtains, curtain rods, under the bed storage containers, frames, plants, light fixtures, you name it! I especially fell in love with the picture of Christ with a bouquet of flowers behind his back. I matched the accent wall to my Stanley cup ha! I LOVE it. Really, I love how everything turned out!
Now to address the elephant in the room.
Two beds.
One daughter.
I have been holding off on redoing Olive's room because I kept waiting for our second daughter. I've prayed and prayed for direction. I finally felt good about going ahead with everything and just planning for her with a second bed. That way, when it happens, we'll be ready for her! In the meantime, it's the perfect extra bed for cousin sleepovers.
I keep hearing rumblings about more viruses or economic breakdowns so I bought a used treadmill. If I can't exercise, I'll go crazy! Our little home gym is shaping up pretty nicely.
We were waiting for the boys' priesthood ordinations when I noticed TWO purple suits. Ok, now that is funny. Just when you think you're unique...
I invited grandparents too late so only Grandma and Grandpa Evans could make it for Collin being ordained a priest and Weston a teacher.
Olive's first mutual night!! Well, she's been going to mutual with Emerson the past few months, but this was her first time in our ward. Color her excited! "Beehives" are the best!
I got picked to be a chaperone for Tanner's field trip to Schnepf Farms! Best part was, I got to drive my own car and meet them there! The weather was beautiful and the activities were so cute. Train rides, vegetable picking and feeding the animals!
The Shaheens were in town and we got to sneak in a date night with them to Domicks and Jeni's Ice Cream. We can't say enough how much we love them.
The first "younger youth" ice cream night with bishop! These middle schoolers were ALL about the ice cream machine! I think Lee Cottrell put away 7 cones. The boys played football and soccer in the backyard for hours and I played board games with the girls who bounced back and forth between the porch and the trampoline. At one point we gathered them together to play "Do You Really Know Me". It was really fun!
I love working in the temple!
Ugh. I don't want to write about this. The day of reckoning finally came. The boys had to go to a juvenile court in Chandler and meet with a probation officer. She explained the process. They have this "diversion program" where minors can go before a jury of their peers and receive a "sentencing". It's meant to reform thug kids before they go full blown felons, ya know. Collin was charged with disorderly conduct. Weston was charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing. This is because one night they found an empty street away from any houses and lit a firework. A lady down the street came out and yelled at them. Apparently she has a history of yelling at kids in the neighborhood. Well you can imagine that irked them. So they rang her doorbell and ran some other night. A few months later they were bored and decided to doorbell ditch her again. Weston wasn't there the first time, but the second time, Collin roped him into coming. He was riding his bike and Lincoln was on the back. Lincoln was the one who rang the doorbell, neither of our boys ever did. But because Weston walked up her walkway with Lincoln, he was charged with trespassing. She called the police and the next night a police officer decided to stake out her house. Brilliant boys that they are, they thought it would be funny to doorbell ditch her again. They were walking down the street and the cop asked them what they were doing. They said they were walking to a park. He grilled them further and they admitted they had doorbell ditched this lady and were going to do it again. So he detained them and that's the night we got the call to come pick them up. It was 8pm. It wasn't past curfew, they hadn't done any damage to her house and they were honest and apologetic. The lady came out and they sincerely apologized and promised it wouldn't happen again. She was a piece of work, this lady. I won't even go into it, but my word. Stereotypical cranky weirdo who is just the type of person a teenage boy would love to irritate. We took their phones for two weeks and they were grounded from TV, friends, everything for a week. She still pressed charges and we got the notification the mail. I was so annoyed. Of all the things! Yes, they shouldn't have done it. But to take it this far?? Anyway, the boys' punishment was to come back and participate in the teen court as jury and Collin also had to complete some online courses. Oh and Weston had to create a vision board. *eye roll*. Once they completed that, we were told their record would be clean once they turn 18. Raising kids is SO FUN.
Right after that, my reward was to go on a staycation with Camilla! This was our big Christmas present. We went to a resort/spa in Scottsdale called CIVANNA. It was lovely. We stayed two nights and never left the property. Just drank protein drinks and snacks we brought from home for breakfast and lunch and ate dinner at their vegan restaurant. We took lots of exercise classes, got massages and talked non-stop. We thought we'd lay by the pool but it was a bit chilly and Camilla's negative percentage of body fat prevented that. So we lounged on the balcony of the spa, covered in blankets and ate snackies. It was fine, haha. God blessed me with a decreased appetite so I could survive the weekend. I love Camilla. I was grateful Travis happily provided this. He is always super generous when it comes to me doing stuff like this.
I know this is naughty. It's my inner Sharon. Had to document Collin's first time blessing the sacrament! How is he a priest? I used to dream about the day he would be a deacon and I wouldn't have to keep him quiet and entertained in church for 20 extra minutes. And now we're here. I like it better here :)
It was Landon's birthday so Olive and Lindi baked him a cake and we all met at the Greenfield park for the cousins to play. And play they did! For hours and hours. And all at ages where we didn't have to worry about someone running away or hitting another child on the playground. Man, I love this stage.
We spied Dad while we visited! Not really, but you know.
Landon's baptism was SO SPECIAL! Marcie did an amazing job making it personal and putting all the extra touches into it. The Spirit was so strong. I loved Landon's song with Uncle Craig playing guitar. She also asked the older boy cousins to share their testimonies. Collin was at dive unfortunately.
Marcie wrote this card for Weston for helping at the baptism. Seriously, how does she have time for this?!
Travis's business guy, Kirk Thompson, invited us on a double date. We went to Popstroke in Scottsdale which is fancy pants mini golfing with lots of drinking going on. Then we ate dinner at the Salt Cellar. It's been here since 1971 and is completely underground. It was a very unique experience. We don't double date much, so this was a fun!
Olive borrowed one of my beanies on a cold, winter morning walking to the bus stop. I thought she looked so adorable I snapped a pic without her knowing it. Then she told me later that some punk boys teased her at school, making fun of her hat. Turds. She took it off, embarrassed. We had a good talk about being you and not caring what other people think or say. Those boys are insecure and can stuff it! Ugh. Why are kids so mean?
Travis left to pick up Olive from dance. He accidentally left his phone, but I didn't know that.
Olive text me that she was running late so I text Travis to tell him. Collin happened to walk by Travis's phone right as I did that and decided to play a joke on me. He started texting me back, acting like he was Travis. At first I was so confused. Then I panicked. He has never EVER spoken to me like that. By the third text I knew something was up. Even still, my stomach had dropped and I was stressing! Stinking Collin!!! We laughed pretty hard afterward.
YM basketball has been a hit. The boys don't really play basketball but have had fun playing with our ward. Our ward was one of the few in the stake that had a good turnout and really good players.
Life can be weird. One day you're raising normal kids, the next day you're hemming their jorts.
Frys finally finished getting built on Power and Elliot ! It's only 1/2 mile away!! YAYYYY!! I'm so excited to have it so close! Weston and his friend rode over on opening day and got a bunch of free food and gift cards.
Lunch date with Dad at Aubergine. We just a little bit love him.
I love Friday nights at the temple with these kids and their friends. If it's up to them we eat at Venezias or Raising Canes afterward. I believe we ordered a total of 25 extra sauces between everyone. And they finished all but TWO!
Lilly and Rubi performed before the Suns game so Travis and the boys went to support them. Olive had dance so I stayed home.
My parents bought a second home in Wyoming! Who would have thunk? I guess they're remodeling it completely. I'm told it's not far from Shelley and Casey's investment house. But my parents aren't planning on renting this out at all.
Tasha is the best and took all these crazies to the river to play! What would we do without the Monahans?
