May

Olive wanted to cut her long locks before summer! I love doing her hair but I get it. Change is fun!

Played some baseball as a family. I remember doing this at Cardon park with my family and loved it. We had a good time until Olive got pegged by a hit from Collin. It isn't family fun if it doesn't end in tears!

I tried to do an object lesson with the kids that went way south. Squeezing out toothpaste and attempting to put it back in the tube. You can't. Much like you can't unsay things you say. But it didn't stop the kids from trying. Oy vey. What a mess!

Runaway Baby is my favorite dance this season!! From Bruno Mars. It's so stinkin' cute! I yell so loud I'm hoarse afterward. 

We were wayyyy out by Cardinals stadium for this one.

Long day and late night. 

For Travis's birthday, we went to the lake with Grandpa! Grandpa took some time showing Travis how to drive and manage the boat. He's always the teacher and it's appreciated!

Wayne shared this on Travis's birthday.

He asked for a "Better than anything" cake and we had steak and potatoes for his dinner. Travis is everyone's favorite. He really is the kindest man and ALWAYS putting me first and trying to help and serve me. He is the kids' hero (as attested by any sheet they fill out for school) and a fun dad who goes paddle boarding and snowboarding. He is famous for saying "I'm good with whatever" when asked his opinion, which highlights his easy going nature but also reflects his aversion to making decisions haha. 

His birthday was on Sunday (fast Sunday.. and yes he fasted). We went on a family walk and it was bulk trash weekend so the kids found some treasures.

Collin found this store thrift shopping and was so proud to give it to him.

Olive's orchestra assembly.

Parents were invited to school while the kids did STEM projects and showed off what they've been learning. 

Piano recital followed by an orchestra concert! Busy girl!

Muffins for Mom before school to celebrate Mother's Day.

I left on a bike ride with Tanner before Travis got home from work. I wasn't surprised in the least when I saw him pulling up to find us in the middle of the fields. He used Life360 to find us. This illustrates Travis perfectly. He could have relaxed at home looking at his phone, but of his own volition he wanted to be with us. He always does. 

It's a little early for swimming, but with the hot tub working, it works!

Adri and I put together a fruit/cinnamon roll bar for the Relief Society ladies on Mother's Day.

I really, really love my people. Hardest days of my life are spent mothering but it truly is the most worthwhile thing and I love being a mom. It helps that I have the best kids!

Rusty spent the night while his parents were out of town so I got a bonus kid on Mother's Day! Rusty is the best. 

Had a little visit with Grandma. So glad she's still with us!

What a sight. Everyone cooking and cleaning while I'm on the couch!

Aren't they cute all piled onto the tiny tramp when the big one is right next to them?

Olive had an informal tumbling recital at The Tumble Shack. She has loved it but I can't say it's been the most productive year. I was super impressed by her running back handspring back whip! I could never!!

The conference talks bless my life so much. I have loved studying them then meeting with my Udall cousins once a month to discuss them.

All of Olive's artwork from the year!

As school wraps up, the swim team season gets started! Tanner was the first kid to be awarded Swimmer of the Week!

I have loved helping in Tanner's class every week this year. I've really gotten to know the kids and it fills my cup to be with them. 

First swim meet, Tanner placed first!! His smile could have been seen from the moon!

Would you look at us at the movies! Fall Guy was pretty funny but by the last explosive fight scene/ car chase I was over it haha. 

Sleeping Beauty and her silk eye mask.

There is a new book out called The Anxious Generation, that addresses the pervasive trends in anxiety and "failure to launch" among kids. Camilla not only read it, but started a neighborhood parent group committed to delaying smart phones in families and actively trying to get schools to adopt no-phone policies. 

I had to leave a little early and laughed at the line up of cars outside... this is a fancy pants group!

The ward had a little mix and mingle at the park. 

Collin is only a freshman but made friends with many seniors and was invited to a few graduation parties. As I was driving him to this one, it suddenly hit me that in 3, short years, it would be HIM graduating. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks and he noticed. I can't help it! It might be unreasonable and it might be years away but my heart isn't ready!! 

A new family moved into our ward and they are on the struggle bus. We've been trying to find them beds for their kids. A family in our ward donated a bunk bed and Travis was a saint to help me pick it up and get it assembled. The dad is on the spectrum and one child is autistic. It's such a sad situation. 

I told the boys to pick their top 3 teachers to write thank you notes to. I wish I could shower all of them with money. So so grateful for all their teachers. 

I walked in the door one day to see a ladder pushed up against the house. 

UGH!

Boys jumping off the roof onto the trampoline. I talked them out of it but apparently they just went back and did it later. 

So sad I didn't get a picture of Weston!

Last day of school!

Collin's artwork on display! Sigma Monster's Inc.

The parents all gather at the bus stop with truckloads of water balloons and pelt the kids when they get off. 

Some rich families in the neighborhood rent a bunch of inflatables and buy out Papa Johns and host all the kids in end of the year fun!

Bahama Bucks tradition lives on!

Olive had her end of the year recital! She did amazing. Every year I'm blown away by how much she is developing as a dancer!

Collin got his first, real job! Lifeguarding for Gilbert. He's just a rover which is basically a substitute teacher. He just fills in when lifeguards can't make their shift. Which unfortunately didn't amount to very many days this summer. 

The "mewing" face is something else.

Collin has become a real crepe chef. Doesn't get old, coming home from Sunday meetings to brunch, ready to go!

Weston is trying hard to get dog sitting jobs! So far, just the Pomeroys dog, Lulu, is his best customer.

I thought this was pretty interesting about patriarchal blessings. 

Sweet Cassandra has been such a support. I'm so grateful for her love. I wanted to keep this to remind me to be that person for others. 

Memorial Day shenanigans at Grandma's. Everyone hoping to be the first person to see the chapstick cap float up!

These smash burgers are becoming a regular thing and I'm not sad about it. 

Weston has dive practices at 6am, Olive has swim at 7am and Tanner is at 9am. I carpool a little with Tasha but I spend lots of time in the car in the mornings!

Look at cute Madeline in Olive's old suit!! 

The Erikson's are moving and Jen dropped off big bags of her son's old clothes for my boys to go through. You would have thought it was Christmas! 

She was not too happy with her results but she smiled anyway. 

A Day in the Life....

 This is a generalized summary of what our life has been like for this semester of school in 2024. 

January-May (I'm writing this in May)

Travis goes to the gym (Planet Fitness) early on Monday and Tuesday, around 5am. Sometimes Collin goes with him. These are the days he needs to be at work early.

I wake up at 5:20am and go to the 5:45am session at Fit Body Bootcamp a few times a week. 

We wake the kids up around 6:40am to read scriptures together at 6:45am. We set a 10min. timer and each read a verse, going around the circle until the 10 min. is up. Then we have family prayers. We have a prayer board with a Christmas card of a family that we include in our prayers. This card changes weekly. Tanner has been allowed to keep sleeping because he is grumpy and can't really read on his own yet and well... the youngest. This will change next year.

Collin has zero hour, so typically Travis leaves for work at 7:05 and drops Collin off at ALA on his way.

I have been juicing celery for Collin for a couple of months now so I'm often hurrying downstairs to juice some so he can have it before he leaves. Olive has been on a Maltomeal kick, so I make her maltomeal and bring it upstairs so she can eat and watch a show while I do her hair. She loves Bluey, Alexa & Kate, and Fuller House. 

I help Olive and Tanner get their lunches made if they aren't buying the school lunch, fill water bottles, sign calendars/planners, take their multivitamin and probiotic, do Tanner's hair and get him toast (his typical choice). 

I walk Olive and Tanner to the bus stop. The bus comes at 7:41am so we walk out the door by 7:38am. If I'm going to the 8am gym session, I drop them off in the car and go straight to the gym. If I am not going to the gym, then I go home and make sure Weston gets up and gets ready for school because he's usually fallen back asleep on the couch. He hangs around until 8:10am and then walks to the bus stop. 

I go to the temple every week. Usually I do an endowment or initiatory session Tuesday-Friday morning.

I volunteer in Tanner's classroom on Thursday mornings. So on Thursdays I drive the kids to school and stay for an hour, helping the kids in Tanner's class with their morning work. 

Often, after I'm done at the school, I'll go visit Grandma Ann for a couple hours. I try to visit her every other week. If I don't make it on Thursday, I just go some other day that is convenient.

My days are filled with errands, laundry, cleaning, Costco/Sam's club shopping, Relief Society presidency meetings, appointments, meeting friends for lunch/acai bowls and other church calling related things. I try to blog as much as I can too.

Weston and Tanner started allergy shots last year. Once a week, I take them both around 4pm for their shots. We are there about an hour. It's a whole thing because Tanner hates them and cries. They have been getting progressively more painful. I usually have to hold him on my lap. The past couple months have been glorious because after 5 months of weekly appointments, we finally reached "maintenance" stage and only have to go every two weeks. Soon, we'll be able to only go every 3-4 weeks. These appointments have been a major pull on my time as I juggle everything else happening after school. Not to mention Olive got an expander in her mouth so both Collin and Olive have regular orthodontist appointments.

Once a month, generally the first Monday night of each month, I meet at Grandma Ann's house to discuss conference talks with my cousins. Usually, Lisa Hogle, Katie Hogle, Marcie, Abbey Lindblom, Trellany Bodine and Kennedy Udall are there. I love these nights.

The first Tuesday night of the month I have my meeting with bishop at the church. We start at 7:30pm and usually end between10-11pm

We go to the Lindbloms for Sunday dinner once a month and the Evans once a month. On the other Sundays we stay home and either invite families from the ward over for dinner or just enjoy being together. We play board games or watch a movie or America's Family Home Videos.

I just started substitute teaching and like to go on Fridays because Travis doesn't work on Fridays. 

Travis works late, one night a week. It used to be Monday nights for a long time, then he switched to Tuesdays, then to Wednesdays (after he got released from Young Mens) and now he's back to Mondays. When Dr. Palmer left, they had to cover his late nights so Quin and he alternate Wednesday nights. 

I started taking piano lessons! Annie Coon comes every Wednesday at 3:30pm and teaches me for 30 min and Weston for 30 min. It has helped me stay accountable and practice.

Olive goes straight to dance on Mondays right after school. Millie Owens takes her, Emerson and Kate. So Olive has to pack her dance stuff and dinner (ramen or mac'n'cheese cup) when she leaves for school in the morning. She dances from 3:30-8:30pm on Mondays. On Tuesday she dances from 4:30-6:30pm. Trav or I will pick her up at 6:30pm at Inspire with dinner in the car so she can eat as we drive her straight to The Tumble Shack for tumbling that starts at 6:45 and goes until 8:15pm. On Wednesday she doesn't have dance, which she loves, so she can run off and play with Emily or Jayne. She has piano from 5:30-6pm at Kim Johnson's house, one street over. So she rides her moped or bike. On Thursday she dances from 4:30-7pm. No dance on Friday. On Saturday she typically dances from 8am-2 or 3pm.

Olive has not often been able to go to activity days with the ward girls because they are always planned when she is at dance. But this semester, they got new leaders who plan an activity at least once a month on Wednesday so she can go!

The boys have mutual on Wednesday night at 7pm. Weston enjoys Rob Laney as a leader and Collin enjoys Brian Romney as a leader.

Weston didn't make the 7th grade football team so he goes to a place called APE, on Baseline and Recker. It's a gym that trains kid athletes. It's expensive but I like that the trainers help the kids with their workouts. Sometimes he rides his e-bike and sometimes I drop him off and pick him up.

Collin has been doing club dive through East Valley Dive Club. They practice at Skyline pool on Tuesdays and Fridays 5-7pm, Thursdays at Kino pool from 5-7pm and Saturdays from 9:30am-12 at Skyline. A girl in our ward who is also on the same team, Bella Milius, has been driving him to Kino but so often, she is sick or can't go and I end up having to take him. 

Tanner did baseball in January and February and his practices were on Thursdays at 6pm with games on Saturday morning. We didn't sign him up for spring sports since we had the Easter pageant.

The rule for our family is that the TV is not allowed to go on until 6pm. And video games are only allowed on Friday and Saturday. So if they don't have dance, dive or other activities, they are usually off with friends, playing in the neighborhood. Tanner is the only one that really demands my attention now after school. 

Collin, Weston, and Olive have daily chores that rotate each week. Dishwasher, vacuuming downstairs and walking Winnie. So if they are on Winnie duty for the week, they are supposed to walk her every day that week. Then the next week they are in charge of emptying the dishwasher whenever it is ran. Then they are supposed to vacuum every day after school. Unfortunately, everyone stinks at following through on these jobs and I am constantly reminding them.

The second half of the semester, I was determined to fit in Family Home Evening, so landed on Thursdays at 7:15pm. The only time everyone was home together on a weekday evening. We sit around the table and everyone shares a spiritual thought. Either from your own scripture study or seminary or primary or just reading The Friend. My thought usually turns into more of a lesson. Then I make sure and have some sort of treat (usually from Trader Joes) and we watch an episode of The Middle. It's fun to have a show that we all enjoy together. 

We have 8:30am church and I leave first so I can be early to greet and visit with people. Plus, I always have ministering interviews right after church and twice a month I have ward council at 11am. So Travis and I always drive separately. Collin and Weston usually ride their e-bikes early to help prepare the sacrament or help set up chairs. We have brunch together once I get home and it's so nice walking in the door after meetings and sitting down to puffed up pancakes or whatever was made! Collin and Weston are becoming great chefs! We do Come Follow Me by watching the short videos on Living Scripture and the 20 min. lesson on Drawn In. Sometimes Trav and I will take a nap. Olive and Tanner usually play together which I love seeing. Just this month, Travis and I decided that on fast Sundays, we would each take two kids and have individual visits with them. Just to check in and give them our undivided attention.  

Saturdays are for chores! The boys mow the lawns, give Winnie a bath, clean bathrooms, vacuum etc. Olive generally gets out of it because she's at dance. But she's supposed to clean windows and her own bathroom and the front porch. She really pitches a fit when we enforce the chores after dance. Tanner is in charge of picking up his room and the toy room.

Travis and I try to go on dates as often as we can on the weekends. Often we have gone to the temple together on Friday during the day and then getting lunch. We discovered Humble Bistro and love it. If it's a weekend night we like going to Xaviers or Boca or getting sushi at Masa. Then we pick up groceries or pick up kids who are gone at parties or hanging out at a friend's house. 

I love my life.