Back to School

Ugh! It’s back to school and we’re feel’n it! Thankfully it’s Friday! We need a Saturday! 

So going back to last Saturday Colt had cross-country practice and I didn’t know what time it ended so that was a little bit of a disaster. 

Cannon had pictures for football— I got him on time, but if I would’ve known when Colts ended, I would’ve brought Colt home before I ever took Cannon and then I wouldn’t have had to drag Seth and Addi out of bed as I scrambled down to get Colt while the coach had to just wait until he was picked up. I told him next time just walk to our friends the Page’s house. Emerie also runs cross country so really it’s an easy fix he just didn’t know. But hopefully it’s a none issue! Isaac had taken Tanner and they went to help with an Eagle Scout project.

Since Colt didn’t get a birthday cake, I took a picture of the cinnamon roll..

Cannon had played a game called “secret Hitler” With some friends and loved it, so Colt was looking for a good way to spend his birthday money from Grama… I did not love the name of the game so we looked up a game that was similar and he ordered Feed the Kracken. It got here Saturday And we played it, but Cannon wasn’t home because he went with the Eitel’s  out to Baring. The kids said it was more fun when Cannon was there he played with us Sunday. 

And then yet another token not real birthday cake. He knew it though, we picked this cheesecake up in Cantril on our little birthday shopping trip.

Sunday night Mr. Bad Back (still!!!!)  called me and Cannon out to help him take a shoe off of the horse. The horse had thrown one so he wanted to get the other one off or something. It was a freaking wrestling match, I think there’s a reason his back’s not healing up very quick…🤔

The kids wish we did something fun for the last day of summer but no such luck. Seth snagged a my phone and I had about 50 pics of this grader as it went by. 

Isaac tried to talk the guy into fixing our driveway—but it didn’t work so he tore into it himself. (Sigh) it’s pretty annoying having to get the gate every single time but I’m sure the horses are enjoying the extra grass. Speaking of the horses that stupid Randy, He just came and picked the flowers right off my dahlia plant, I was pretty annoyed, but not near as annoyed as Colt, Isaac and the younger kids were eating watermelon on the front porch while the horses came over to check on him and stomped on Colt’s elephant ear plants that he’s been tending ALl summer long. He was so sad. When he settled down, he asked AI and it told him what to do and to cut the leaves off and it told him that his plant would be OK and whatever… then the next day,  stupid Randy, all Addi did was walk outside, and he came to check on her and did it again. 

Anyway Monday was a busy day. I gave blood. We got the kids new school clothes out they always like that. oh yeah, that is what took all morning. I made them clean out their drawers before I would get any new stuff out-we have a lot of clothes! 

That afternoon evening, Colt still had cross-country and Cannon still had football and we tried to do Cone Follow Me early and get to bed…. Well at least we tried. 

Isaac did do Fathers blessings for them and that was neat. I (hope it’s appropriate) but I did voice record them and hope to type them up for them. I just think that would be a great thing to have tucked in the front of their Journal… Not that they ever write in their journals, but someday they might. 

And Tuesday it was back to school!!

Addi was a no go! (Look how annoyed Tanner is 😂) 

But luckily she was all smiles by time it was her turn to go! (Although now she seems to have been there done that mindset and wants to just stay home…. Sorry Sis,  no way! That’s my 2 hours (and that’s really about all it is by time I get home and how early I have to go back.) 

Anyway, I think everyone had a good first day. 

There’s been a fair amount of equipment running after school. 

The front yard is looking better. Hopefully the driveway is “fixed”  Time will tell, and with any luck his turnaround spot will work out too🤞🏻

Tan Tan— the animal man. He’s not very thrilled that school has started back up, but I am actually pretty happy with his teacher. She seems wonderful and… We needed that!! She called today just to make sure Tann had had a good week… And tell me how wonderful he was at school. We had a very honest discussion because it is so stressful for him and he wants to be so good and do things just perfect for her but then he comes home and the wheels kinda come off…. We had tears the first day but then one of the days he said “Mom,  it’s not her fault.” I was like oh good at least he recognizes that, she had asked him at school if he had a good day and he felt like he HAD to  say yes, even though he hated being back at school! Funny kid! 

Tonight Seth Addi and I are at Cannon’s football game— Well, really is the Varsity game and cann gets to dress, but he doesn’t really play… But we’re here! 

Colt and Isaac went on a little service project and tore out a treehouse with the skid steer. 👍🏻 

Isaac called-asked how the game was, I told him we were getting smoked and he said “oh dang, well, see ya tomorrow, I’m going to bed.”🤣

Sounds about right. 

I think that’s about it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Happy Birthday Colt!!

 We have another teenager on our hand! 

Addi told me Colts birthday was NOT fun. Sorry buddy! 

But after the Birthday lake trip it’s pretty dang late 😩 so last week I blogged then added pics later I’m going to try throwing all the pics on then maybe kindof explain them. Let’s see how this goes! 

Saturday we had moms football 101–not my favorite thing but I went. Then I went to the volleyball parent mtg for a friend then back to Cann’s scrimmage then the football parent mtg. It was quite the morning. 

Did I write about Isaac hurting his back last week? I can’t remember but he’s totally crippled…sounds like perfect time to go ride motorcycles right? Ugh! But he did! He took Cann and his friend Gavin down to Finger Lakes. They had fun. And Mr Bad back riding that 450 that he had to kick start…pretty sure that pushed him over the edge on buying a new (to us) motorcycle. 

The other kids and I hung out but then decided we needed to get out of the house so we went to Menards…the took their walkie talkies and I’m lucky we didn’t get kicked out of there but…they had a blast playing hide and seek. 

I really was looking for some stuff for the corners that are all dinged up and I just kept running into people from church so it took a while. 

Seth tried to talk Addi into her cherry outfit for church, she was a no go! This was as close as we got to a smile! Then she changed! Isaac had to speak in Moberly so it was the kids and I, plus a baptism after…Tann entertained himself with Addi’s hair. 

Isaac got back and rescued the kids then I stayed for a stewardship interview. It was a long day! 

Monday was the most Isaac day ever! He sold his belly dump but then decided he wanted to use it to go get a load of gravel before the guy picked it up. Driving the Goose totally hobbled him more, then he calculated it and it only 1/2 as much as getting rock delivered so he wasn’t going to but he went for another load. The guy wanted him to deliver the belly dump to Columbia…he didn’t want to but decided he could get the Golden Goose serviced down there, so they worked out a deal and he did. 

This picture should be movie, watching him get out of that truck he loved like he was 90! 

Getting the truck serviced meant leaving it down there…so I got to follow him but then the motorcycle was “only 20 min further” yeah right! We plugged into Google Maps and it was 56 min. It is so common for Isaac to leave the kids but not me! I’d already been gone 2 hours and we were headed an hour in the wrong direction! Cann was at practice and just had to catch a ride home, and I left Colt in charge of dinner and everything…yikes! Screen for the win, I just kept adding time to the tablets I have so carefully locked down. 

But we got it! 

Colt with his Elephant Ears-he loves them and he’s pretty good at tending them! And then Colt with the entirety of our carrot harvest. Hmm. Maybe I should have put him in charge! 

Another pic that should be a movie—these two were zooming down the front yard! Seth couldn’t really keep up! 

Round two of mowing at the cemetery with the tractor went a lot better and we actually got it done! 👍🏻

Water balloon volleyball for combined YM/YW it was kinda fun to see Colt in this situation, I think he’s a lot different when Cannon's not around (he was at football) 

Thursday I took Colt on a couple different shopping excursions. We didn’t kind anything too exciting but the one on one time was good. 

The today was the big day. Ok it was pretty anti-climatic. (I did make him cinnamon rolls for breakfast though) I just had a couple shirts a green projection alarm clock and a barrel of monkeys for him. But Isaac and him decided (even though he really wants an electric unicycle that they’re going to keep looking for one of those) but buy a foil but not an Electric one, just that you pull behind the boat. But…it’s down by where we got the motorcycle 🤦🏻‍♀️  and the guy was out of town. 

So maybe his birthday will be fun eventually…

Today was meet the teacher-5 kids-5 schools-it was kindof a nightmare! 

But we make it to the lake! That’s always a good day! 

Colt took a picture of my backflip…yeah no way am I getting around in this…some were better than others but really I’m not any better off the boat than I was off the edge of the pool. Oh well it was fun trying. 

Everyone tried riding “goofy” footed. The boys were pretty good at it. The water is finally down so Adds “beach” was available the younger kids had fun in the sand. 

I think that’s about it! 

This was not a fast way to blog! Ha…it always takes longer than I think 🙃

I'm blogging without a phone today...so hopefully I remember to add pictures tomorrow. If not--oh well. 

Its fight city around here. And I'm about to lose my mind. I blame Cannon's phone for a lot of the fights, and that's why I'm proving to him that I can go without my phone just fine. So even though its Friday blog day. I'm going phone (mostly) free. 

The kids always go back to school before Isaac...but not this year. So I'm in for it. I don't know why they fight so much more for me. But they do. 

So lets see if I can remember the week...

Did I write about reading the book my Grandpa's half brother Will wrote? It was crazy, I thought my mom gave it to me, she didn't really mean to--so I guess I stole  it ;) but Isaac and I were in Uncle Will's ward in Ivins when we first got married. So that's how I knew him most. But I don't know him well. He's written lots, we love the "High Priests" book he did in that Ivins ward. Probably my favorite line in This whole book "Turn Again Home" was "and I am against forgetting" because I like that. My Great Grandpa (who family search compare a face always says I look the most like....Hmmm....) his autobiography that Will published is titled "Lest I Forget to Remember" Anyway this book was crazy. Isaac read it too, that's also crazy I think we've actually the same book maybe 1 other time in 16 years. It said on the front flap that was was not a happy book, you could tell it was probably pretty cathartic for him to write and a way he dealt with lots of old (but held onto) feelings. It seemed (to me) to wax way too philosophical for that time and place but...who am I do judge? It was weird because we knew him at church but it was pretty harsh about some church stuff. I dunno, it also  didn't say anything really of who or what Will became, that wasn’t the point of it, but it definitely make me think. I like to write, I write every week, but what would my kids write? That its a terrifying thought...probably mostly because I have good idea--and it might not be pretty. (At least not this fight week!) Anyway, all that to say the coolest thing about it was in made me want to read my Great Grandpa's patriarchal blessing, which I did, but it was cursive and hard to read and not an overly amazing experience...BUT...then I read my Grandpas! And it was so cool! I had asked my grandma why the Salt Lake temple and we have her voice recording on family search telling us which is cool but to read that, to have known him, it was the day before they went through the temple. It was just really really cool. Worth reading the book if that's really what led me down that path...

Sunday was my first time teaching in YW, and actually that probably influenced my wanting to read old patriarchal blessings the most, I didn't use them or anything I learned in the lesson at all but they're still so cool. We split up the lesson and my whole presidency taught so it was just a short little piece, it went well (but good grief I get so nervous and then I sweat like crazy. So annoying.)  But we talked about Esther and I told those kids that somebody is always praying for them to show courage, and it might be their parents but it might be me!

That night Isaac busted out his Harley...it'd been a while. 

Monday we hit the lake in the morning because Cann has football in the evenings...that cramps our style. 

Tuesday...we must've done something but I don't know what, maybe the pics will remind me. 

Wednesday we had ortho appointments and I had the YW out here to slip'n slide. I was actually surprised how much they liked it. They loved it! It turned out to be a really fun activity. Slowly I'm starting to figure out YW...helps when I actually go to an activity--all the sudden it makes sense why I need more advisors they make 2 deep leadership happen and allow us to split up into 3 groups--oh and its more people to drive!

I feel like yesterday was just a bunch of fights...oh yeah because Isaac had meetings all day. It’s  true it was a ton of fights and I got so mad I told Cannon I wouldn't take him to football. But what I should have said was he had to ride his bike if he wanted to go to football, because he just called a friend that could drive and got a ride that way. I think (hope) he was embarrassed to do it though. The lesson...don't hurt your siblings...and just don't get involved. UGH. 

Today I think we're just surviving. Phoneless. I mean, I've used it a little but not much. But I'm making a list, so every time I would use it I just put it on my list instead. I do miss some of the podcasts and stuff while I was on the treadmill, I TOTALLY miss the camera. But most of it I really don't miss, I really don't need. For example I was curious about the humidity but really who cares? —it’s sticky hot and nasty-I really don't need the phone to verify that with a number. 

Anyway, hopefully pics to come. If not, oh well. 

See ya next time. 

Pics 

Sat 

Oh… I tried to mow over the cemetery, but when I engaged the PTO, the blades didn’t actually turn apparently it was just some nut that I need to tighten and I should’ve just called Isaac but instead, I drove home and picked up this cute load on my way up the driveway.

We were trying to “cross the wake” but poor Cann-it was a disaster so he just threw his hands up as he sunk. 

Colt went on the other side! 

Isaac crossed the wake but with the rope…

I think this picture is of Tanner negotiating with Addi why she should eat…

Addi Was pretty proud of herself in Seth stuffed animals

Cannon was pretty proud of himself for braiding her hair

YW And Seth going down with his best buddy Lyndi Page (my kids all love Lyndi She mad Addi’s prayer that night) 

Projects…😜😋

Same size feet 🤣