David and Porter had a big talk before hand about blessings and Porter was so excited to get one. He loves blessings. He even went and put a clip on tie attached to his t-shirt in preparation. He was so reverent and prepared.
Porter Martin Bailly, by the authority of the Melchezidek Priesthood, which I hold, I lay my hands upon your head to give you a Father's Blessing. Porter, you have already learned a little bit about the priesthood and the power of the priesthood and why it's important to remember that it is the power that Heavenly Father has to make us strong and keep us happy. Porter, Heavenly Father has blessed you with a mind that has the ability to learn and to understand and eyes that can observe and see. Heavenly Father wants you, Porter, to use your mind and use your eyes to further develop your heart. You will have deep desires to be a good friend, to reach out to those kids at school that need a friend, that need someone to listen to them and someone to understand them. He blesses you Porter that your ears will be able to understand what the other kids are talking about and what they are saying, even if they are from different places and have different experiences. He blesses you with more patience, Porter. To be able to understand them and to be friends with them. Heavenly Father knows that you are concerned about some of the kids at school, how they treat each other and how they might treat you. And, He'll help you Porter. He'll help you become friends with them and He'll help you to feel safe. And remind you that you have teachers and good friends, like Scotty, and a Mom and Dad, who are always here for you and love you and who will help you. And the more that you talk to us and the more that you pray to Heavenly Father, the easier it will be for you to take care of the problems that you need to. We also bless you Porter to be able to tell your teacher about the things that you need and to be patient with her and you will grow to love her and she will become a friend to you and she will help you. We bless your brothers that they will be kind to each other and that all you boys will recognize how important you are to each other. And you'll become better friends as the school year goes by. Porter, we also bless you that you'll be able to listen to mom and be obedient quickly. And that you will be happy and find great joy when you are quickly obeying and doing the things that mom wants you to do. We bless you also that you'll be able to play the sports that you love and do well and do well at the piano. We love you, Heavenly Father loves you. Remember that Jesus is your friend and you can always pray. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
After the blessing, David asked Porter what he heard during the blessing. This is what he heard:
Understand kids from different countries.
Be nice to kids who don't have friends.
I am excited for this new school year for Porter. I'll admit, as the end of last school year was approaching, I was worried about what it would be like to have Porter home all day. I was worried it would be hard because he was so used to have 6+ hours a day full of things to do at school. Now that summer is over and it's time for him to go back, I am sad. I have loved having him around more. His relationship with his brothers has grown and I will miss him when he's gone so much of the day again. I know his brothers will miss him too. He asked me why he had to spend so much of every day at school. He said he'll be at school more than at home and he wasn't happy about it. I'm grateful that he also likes to be home. He has spent a lot of time playing with friends this summer, but I think he has liked that he can be home whenever he likes and this changes once he goes back to school.
I am so proud of the young man that he is. He loves to learn the gospel and I know that he has a relationship with Heavenly Father and prayer. This morning and tonight and spent special time with just him. We talked about agency and the plan of salvation. We read a conference talk together and some articles from the Ensign. We talked about him and life. He is a remarkable young man and I am grateful I get to be a part of his life. I hope that I will figure out how to make special time for him throughout the school year. That our conversations will continue and he will be able to tell me what is on his mind and when he needs help. I love him.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Observant (8/6/19)
I often take the boys with me to my OB appointments. They have learned that I have to pee in a cup. Jonas especially finds this really amusing. A couple of weeks ago he peed in his science beaker. Then today I found another beaker with pee under the bathroom counter. It’s always funny to find out what makes your kids tick and makes them laugh.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Lower Family Reunion July 27th through Aug 2nd 2019- Bear Lake
Yesterday we got back from our week long Lower Family Reunion in Fish Haven, ID at Bear Lake. The whole reunion was a blast. The boys loved playing with their cousins and I loved being with my family. Everyone was there and I think David even enjoyed the entire week!
We drove up Saturday afternoon (July 27th) and arrived there right at 4pm for check in. We rented a large house in The Reserve community in Fish Haven, ID. The house was perfect. There was space to gather and hang out. The community had two nice pools, a hot tub, and a gym.
Here's a run down of the week. We kept really busy and the boys stayed up way too late every night, but they did sleep in and for the most part, they did really well.
Saturday-
Arrived at house. Everyone showed up except the Waisath's came in after we'd all gone to bed. We had pizza for dinner and went to the pool to swim. There was a water slide at the pool. Porter loved going down it, but Jonas and Mason never ventured down it.
Sunday-
Went to church. After church we came back and took family pictures. My dad gave us all a spiritual message and bore his testimony to us. I loved being able to be all together and to hear my dad bear his testimony and to have my children hear it also. It's not very often that gets to happen. But, as he spoke, everyone was quiet and the spirit was present. That was the most spiritual part of the entire trip for me.
That afternoon we took an "off-roading" trip Bloomington Lake. We didn't realize it was going to be like that, but it was beautiful up at the lake. A lot of the kids and some of the adults went off the rope swing. Porter and I just hung out with our feet in the water watching everyone else. I was grateful that Porter did not want to go off the rope swing. I was a little worried about it and I wanted it to still feel like Sunday. David had stayed back at the house with Jonas and Mason along with my parents.
Bloomington Lake is beautiful. It was a short hike/walk up to the lake after a really long drive.
After dinner that evening we had a "Retirement" Party for papa. He was supposed to be retired by now, but since their house hasn't sold yet, he has kept working. But, we don't know if we'll be able to get everyone together once he does retire, so we kept the party this weekend. Amber and Ashley put together a few fun activities. We played a jeopardy game about Dad's life and it was a lot of fun. I learned some new things and had a few good laughs about some other things. I even got to cry-laugh. It was the best. Kenny was very confident in answering that mom and dad met at The Riviera. I couldn't help but cry-laugh because that is where he lived. They met at Roman Gardens.
Then we enjoyed cake to celebrate his retirement and Mira, Wes and Jon's birthdays.
Some people went swimming, but since it was Sunday, I didn't want our family to go. Porter got really, really mad. I felt bad, but I knew we should stay home together. Some of the older cousins (James, Zach and Jackson) almost stayed home from the pool because they didn't want Porter to feel left out, but I didn't want them to stay back. They left and after Porter and I talked, we played Life together and he was much better. It was great to get to stay with him and play together.
Monday-
We headed to Rendezvous Beach to play. We rented a boat for tubing, we played on the beach and on the water trampoline. It was overcast and we played all day long. Porter was on the boat literally all day except for the one time I went on the boat. He loved tubing and being with the older boys.
Mason, Jonas and David and I jumped on the water trampoline for a while and the boys loved it.
In the evening we ventured into Garden City to try our first shake. There are several shake stands, but we were told that Lebeau's is the oldest and most famous. So, this was our first taste of the famous Raspberry shake. It was good, but I'll admit, there were other places that were tastier. We ate shakes on our way home from the lake and were so full of ice cream that we could hardly eat dinner that night.
Tuesday-
We spent most of the day at the pool at made this more of a low key day. Of course it was still a blast. Somehow Ash convinced Mason to go down the water slide. I'm not sure he knew what hit him when they flew off the slide and ended up under water. He didn't cry, but he also didn't go again.
That afternoon the we played Minute to Win It games. All the kids gathered around and loved trying to see who could suck up the most cheerios and move them to another bowl (I was second best :), get 6 pieces of ziti pasta on a piece of spaghetti without using your hands, get an oreo from your forehead into your mouth without using your hands and a few other fun games. I had to leave partway through to help Jonas in the bathroom, so we missed some of the fun.
Most everyone except Mimi, Papa, Theron, Wes, Jon, Mira and myself and Jonas and Mason went to do an Escape Room that night. They said it was fun, but it was a little like a youth soccer game where all the kids run around in a bunch.
The rest of us went out for shakes. We tried a new place, Ber's Shakes and Sodas. It was better than Lebeau's and they had the cutest soda drinks. They had gummy sharks or gummy alligators or watermelon sour patch kids swimming in the bottom of the drink and coming out of the whipped cream at the top. Mason and Jonas were going crazy about it. They spent the majority of the time talking about the drinks rather than drinking them. It was adorable and funny. Theron said he could not understand anything Mason was saying, but Mason just kept talking. Of course I could understand everything.
Wednesday-
We took to the beach again. This time we went to North Beach. We rented jet skiis, a paddle boat, a kayak. Papa brought along an inflatable boat. It was another perfect beach day. Porter and I both got up on the paddle board. I'll admit, I was a little nervous about falling on my belly. Porter balanced really well all by himself.
Porter went out on the jet ski and loved it, although he didn't like going too fast. David and I finally got Jonas to go out with us. He was hilarious. He sat in between us and we were going sooo slow, but he kept saying, "Too fast." "Too far." Then he started crying, so we headed back in. But, we got him out and hopefully in a year or two we can get him out again. David and I went out by ourselves. It felt great to have the wind in our hair, but I was so nervous when I was driving it. It's been a long time since I've driven one or ridden on one for that matter. I was much more comfortable with David driving, but I also knew he wouldn't do anything crazy since I'm pregnant.
One of the best parts of the day was taking Mason out in the inflatable raft. He was so cute. He just held on to the front of the boat.
After the lake we headed home, had dinner and then Mimi gave out her little awards to everyone. The kid's loved being spotlighted. Well, all of our kids except Jonas. He doesn't love the attention on himself.
That night of course we headed out for shakes again! This time we tried Zips. This was my favorite shake place for sure. I loved the atmosphere and their fries were yummy too.
Thursday-
We headed to Lava Hot Springs to play at their recreation pool and for who ever wanted to float the river. There was a pool, diving boards, diving platforms, 4 waterslides, a kiddie play area, and an indoor pool with a walk climbing wall. We played for hours and hours. There was stuff for everyone of every age to do. Porter went off the high dive, but I couldn't get him to go down the water slides because they were enclosed at least for part of it. Mason and Jonas played and played with Wes in the kiddie play area. I had been nervous about driving there because it was about an hour and 15 minutes away, but it was so much fun and definitely worth it.
A lot of people, but the younger kids, went to float the river. I wasn't sure how it would be and if the younger boys would like it, so I didn't take them. I guess everyone loved it and I could have brought Mason and Jonas. They ran the river a couple of times and Porter and David were in a four man tube. Porter loved it.
We played KUBB in the yard and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
That night Porter and David went out with all the older people to get shakes again. I stayed back with the little ones and got them ready for bed.
Friday-
We packed up and headed out. We all stopped at Maddox Drive In in Perry for lunch. The Lower's had recommended it to us. It was packed and the food was okay, but definitely not worth the wait.
The Waisath's came to stay with us for the night and the Troutman's got to hang out with us for a little until they left for the airport. Porter, David, Kari, Theron, Karsten, Morgan and Garrett all went to Snowbird to enjoy the summer activities up there. I stayed back with the little kids. We built and played LEGO's, jumped with water balloons on the trampoline and watched a movie.
Saturday-
We took the kids up to Donner Park. It was hot, but the kids got some energy out. Kari set up an obstacle for them to run through the playground. It was a lot of fun. The kids had so much fun right up until Porter and Karsten were a "siamese run" and Karsten accidentally dragged Porter along the ground. That was pretty much the end of Porter's fun. He kept crying and crying, and fortunately it was time to go home so the Waisath's could get ready to head to the airport.
This was a fantastic week. I wouldn't have changed anything. I loved having my little family be with my extended family. Our kids got to try so many new things this week and create so many fun memories with their cousins. This was totally worth it.
How grateful I am for family.
We drove up Saturday afternoon (July 27th) and arrived there right at 4pm for check in. We rented a large house in The Reserve community in Fish Haven, ID. The house was perfect. There was space to gather and hang out. The community had two nice pools, a hot tub, and a gym.
Here's a run down of the week. We kept really busy and the boys stayed up way too late every night, but they did sleep in and for the most part, they did really well.
Saturday-
Arrived at house. Everyone showed up except the Waisath's came in after we'd all gone to bed. We had pizza for dinner and went to the pool to swim. There was a water slide at the pool. Porter loved going down it, but Jonas and Mason never ventured down it.
Sunday-
Went to church. After church we came back and took family pictures. My dad gave us all a spiritual message and bore his testimony to us. I loved being able to be all together and to hear my dad bear his testimony and to have my children hear it also. It's not very often that gets to happen. But, as he spoke, everyone was quiet and the spirit was present. That was the most spiritual part of the entire trip for me.
That afternoon we took an "off-roading" trip Bloomington Lake. We didn't realize it was going to be like that, but it was beautiful up at the lake. A lot of the kids and some of the adults went off the rope swing. Porter and I just hung out with our feet in the water watching everyone else. I was grateful that Porter did not want to go off the rope swing. I was a little worried about it and I wanted it to still feel like Sunday. David had stayed back at the house with Jonas and Mason along with my parents.
Bloomington Lake is beautiful. It was a short hike/walk up to the lake after a really long drive.
After dinner that evening we had a "Retirement" Party for papa. He was supposed to be retired by now, but since their house hasn't sold yet, he has kept working. But, we don't know if we'll be able to get everyone together once he does retire, so we kept the party this weekend. Amber and Ashley put together a few fun activities. We played a jeopardy game about Dad's life and it was a lot of fun. I learned some new things and had a few good laughs about some other things. I even got to cry-laugh. It was the best. Kenny was very confident in answering that mom and dad met at The Riviera. I couldn't help but cry-laugh because that is where he lived. They met at Roman Gardens.
Then we enjoyed cake to celebrate his retirement and Mira, Wes and Jon's birthdays.
Some people went swimming, but since it was Sunday, I didn't want our family to go. Porter got really, really mad. I felt bad, but I knew we should stay home together. Some of the older cousins (James, Zach and Jackson) almost stayed home from the pool because they didn't want Porter to feel left out, but I didn't want them to stay back. They left and after Porter and I talked, we played Life together and he was much better. It was great to get to stay with him and play together.
Monday-
We headed to Rendezvous Beach to play. We rented a boat for tubing, we played on the beach and on the water trampoline. It was overcast and we played all day long. Porter was on the boat literally all day except for the one time I went on the boat. He loved tubing and being with the older boys.
Mason, Jonas and David and I jumped on the water trampoline for a while and the boys loved it.
In the evening we ventured into Garden City to try our first shake. There are several shake stands, but we were told that Lebeau's is the oldest and most famous. So, this was our first taste of the famous Raspberry shake. It was good, but I'll admit, there were other places that were tastier. We ate shakes on our way home from the lake and were so full of ice cream that we could hardly eat dinner that night.
Tuesday-
We spent most of the day at the pool at made this more of a low key day. Of course it was still a blast. Somehow Ash convinced Mason to go down the water slide. I'm not sure he knew what hit him when they flew off the slide and ended up under water. He didn't cry, but he also didn't go again.
That afternoon the we played Minute to Win It games. All the kids gathered around and loved trying to see who could suck up the most cheerios and move them to another bowl (I was second best :), get 6 pieces of ziti pasta on a piece of spaghetti without using your hands, get an oreo from your forehead into your mouth without using your hands and a few other fun games. I had to leave partway through to help Jonas in the bathroom, so we missed some of the fun.
Most everyone except Mimi, Papa, Theron, Wes, Jon, Mira and myself and Jonas and Mason went to do an Escape Room that night. They said it was fun, but it was a little like a youth soccer game where all the kids run around in a bunch.
The rest of us went out for shakes. We tried a new place, Ber's Shakes and Sodas. It was better than Lebeau's and they had the cutest soda drinks. They had gummy sharks or gummy alligators or watermelon sour patch kids swimming in the bottom of the drink and coming out of the whipped cream at the top. Mason and Jonas were going crazy about it. They spent the majority of the time talking about the drinks rather than drinking them. It was adorable and funny. Theron said he could not understand anything Mason was saying, but Mason just kept talking. Of course I could understand everything.
Wednesday-
We took to the beach again. This time we went to North Beach. We rented jet skiis, a paddle boat, a kayak. Papa brought along an inflatable boat. It was another perfect beach day. Porter and I both got up on the paddle board. I'll admit, I was a little nervous about falling on my belly. Porter balanced really well all by himself.
Porter went out on the jet ski and loved it, although he didn't like going too fast. David and I finally got Jonas to go out with us. He was hilarious. He sat in between us and we were going sooo slow, but he kept saying, "Too fast." "Too far." Then he started crying, so we headed back in. But, we got him out and hopefully in a year or two we can get him out again. David and I went out by ourselves. It felt great to have the wind in our hair, but I was so nervous when I was driving it. It's been a long time since I've driven one or ridden on one for that matter. I was much more comfortable with David driving, but I also knew he wouldn't do anything crazy since I'm pregnant.
One of the best parts of the day was taking Mason out in the inflatable raft. He was so cute. He just held on to the front of the boat.
After the lake we headed home, had dinner and then Mimi gave out her little awards to everyone. The kid's loved being spotlighted. Well, all of our kids except Jonas. He doesn't love the attention on himself.
That night of course we headed out for shakes again! This time we tried Zips. This was my favorite shake place for sure. I loved the atmosphere and their fries were yummy too.
Thursday-
We headed to Lava Hot Springs to play at their recreation pool and for who ever wanted to float the river. There was a pool, diving boards, diving platforms, 4 waterslides, a kiddie play area, and an indoor pool with a walk climbing wall. We played for hours and hours. There was stuff for everyone of every age to do. Porter went off the high dive, but I couldn't get him to go down the water slides because they were enclosed at least for part of it. Mason and Jonas played and played with Wes in the kiddie play area. I had been nervous about driving there because it was about an hour and 15 minutes away, but it was so much fun and definitely worth it.
A lot of people, but the younger kids, went to float the river. I wasn't sure how it would be and if the younger boys would like it, so I didn't take them. I guess everyone loved it and I could have brought Mason and Jonas. They ran the river a couple of times and Porter and David were in a four man tube. Porter loved it.
We played KUBB in the yard and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
That night Porter and David went out with all the older people to get shakes again. I stayed back with the little ones and got them ready for bed.
Friday-
We packed up and headed out. We all stopped at Maddox Drive In in Perry for lunch. The Lower's had recommended it to us. It was packed and the food was okay, but definitely not worth the wait.
The Waisath's came to stay with us for the night and the Troutman's got to hang out with us for a little until they left for the airport. Porter, David, Kari, Theron, Karsten, Morgan and Garrett all went to Snowbird to enjoy the summer activities up there. I stayed back with the little kids. We built and played LEGO's, jumped with water balloons on the trampoline and watched a movie.
Saturday-
We took the kids up to Donner Park. It was hot, but the kids got some energy out. Kari set up an obstacle for them to run through the playground. It was a lot of fun. The kids had so much fun right up until Porter and Karsten were a "siamese run" and Karsten accidentally dragged Porter along the ground. That was pretty much the end of Porter's fun. He kept crying and crying, and fortunately it was time to go home so the Waisath's could get ready to head to the airport.
This was a fantastic week. I wouldn't have changed anything. I loved having my little family be with my extended family. Our kids got to try so many new things this week and create so many fun memories with their cousins. This was totally worth it.
How grateful I am for family.
Saturday, July 6, 2019
7/6/18- How has it already been a month?
This first month of summer has flown past. I was honestly worried about how it would be having Porter home all day long. It has been much better than anticipated. Him being an avid reader has definitely helped. If he has down time, he reads or listens to books and he'll actually do it for hours. He wants to listen to a book or read a book as we're driving, etc. Sometimes he reads so much I actually have to tell him to put it down and talk to us. Also, he has spent time playing with the boys more than I thought he would. They don't play all the time and there are still fights, but I have found him and Jonas playing and keeping each other company. This a huge blessing. I want them to be friends, not just brothers. Learning to enjoy each others company is so important. It's been helpful that Jonas' good friend Ollie has not been around much and neither have Porter's friends. Chase Wible moved a week ago and Harvey has been out of town on/off. He still has Tanner, but they don't play every day.
June flew past. We took the boys fishing during a free event at Fairmont Park. The boys all enjoyed it and ended up with new fishing rods. No one caught anything, but at least they had fun. We've enjoyed swimming at Ashley's pool and Gayle's pool. Jonas started up swim lessons again too. He is getting more and more comfortable in the water which is great.
We had the Neighborhood BBQ and I don't think I saw Porter the entire time. He usually takes off once he sees friends and we don't hear from him again until it's time to go home. Jonas and Mason stick close by. Jonas and Mason both rode in the bike parade. Actually, Mason rode and Jonas ran. It was pretty funny to watch.
David and I attended the open house for the Snowpine Lodge up at Alta. I was afraid I was a little under dressed because I was wearing jeans, but as we walked in, David told me I was in good company. Mitt Romney was also wearing jeans. We were sure we'd know many people at the party, but we ended up knowing a few people from the stake and Ashley and Mason Schmutz were there.
We hit up the park and splash pad at Liberty Park with friends and the boys played for hours. We had brought Ollie and Tanner along and then met Maria and her kids. I love when the boys just play and play for hours outside. It is so good for their little bodies to run and play.
I've spent many mornings/afternoons/evenings sitting in a lawn chair in the front yard as the boys play. Under the trees in our yard, the heat is bearable and it is so refreshing to enjoy the outdoors. Unfortunately I'm not the best playdate right now since I'm tired and big, but when they pause to snuggle me and read books or eat their popsicles, it is heaven on earth.
We took the boys on a trip to AZ to visit David's family. We stayed at a hotel nearby. On Monday, we swam and then we were able to take his parents out to dinner for their birthdays. On Tuesday, I took the boys to the Bass Pro Shop to explore while David took care of some drama with his brother Randall. We took the boys, Lillian and Matt and Jackson and Cassie to Urban Jungle. It's a trampoline/obstacle course place. Everyone had fun playing for 1 1/2 hours. It was the perfect place to get energy out, besides swimming, when it was so hot outside. Later in the afternoon his parents had everyone over for a BBQ and we swam. Grandpa rented a motorcycle for the kids to ride on too. Porter was the only one of our kids that took him up on a ride. I'm not surprised Jonas didn't go, but I thought maybe Mason would sit on it. But, for some reason he didn't want to. Maybe the loud noise scared him.
Wednesday, we spent the day having lunch with my friend Laurie and swimming with her kids. It was great to catch up with her and of course Porter loved having some older kids to play with. We had dinner at David's parents and then headed back to the hotel to get ready to fly out tomorrow.
The trip was really overwhelming for David. There is a lot of dysfunction in his family and unfortunately his parent's home is not the greatest place to be. His brothers come and go as they please and they are all dealing with major issues. David's mom kept telling Porter he should come back and stay with them by himself, but that will never happen. She had just previously told me all the things going on with his brother and what is brought into their home and it is no place I would have Porter be. There is no way his parents would be able to take care of him and deal with David's siblings. Plus, I feel like Porter would end up watching a ton of tv and playing a lot of video games if he was there. They just don't have the energy to take care of him and the environment is not a healthy, safe environment. It's really sad. I'm pretty sure we won't head back to AZ for a long time.
When we got back in town, David was already feeling better just to be home. He had one night off before he headed up to Girl's Camp. He took Jonas and Porter with him. Once again Porter was right in the mix and Jonas hung back. Jonas said, "Why do all these people have to be here?" Porter is our extrovert and Jonas is our introvert.
Mason and I had some special time at home. We met Ashley at City Creek for a bit and it was fun to play with him alone. He skipped as we walked. There was one incident where he got really embarassed and wanted to go home. I've never seen him get embarassed like that. He accidentally grabbed some other woman's hand bag. After it happened, he buried his head in his hands and cried and just kept saying, "I want to go home."
We had a going away party for Josh and Heidi Wible. We are so sad that they moved. They are such an incredible family and we have loved having their little boys around. Jacob, Chase and Connor will be greatly missed. The BBQ was a blast and our boys got to stay up until 10pm!
We got to attend another going away party for Celeste and Rich Davis, but this one was a Murder Mystery Party. David was Mr. "Ollie" Oliver and I was Ms. Lavender. It was fun to get dressed up and go even though I am such a terrible actress. David did a great job getting into character. He was a little bit nervous and he was always stroking other men's faces because his character could not grow facial hair. It was brilliant. He even won two prices for how he played the game. I was a shy, depressed school teacher. You'd think I could pull that character off easily, but I just kept laughing at everyone else as they got into character. Some people play their parts brilliantly.
The 4th of July was fun this year. We spent the morning/early afternoon at a carnival at Fitts Park in South Salt Lake. There were bounce houses, train rides, face painting and balloon making. Plus the boys were able to practice some "wood" chopping karate skills. Afterwards we enjoyed slushees. You'd think we'd hit the jackpot. In the afternoon we visited Gayle and then we spent the evening outside with Ashley.
Friday (7/5/19), the boys and I met Ashley, her friend Isabel and Isabel's family at Pineview Reservoir. The boys swam, paddleboarded, played in the sand and ate. I'm so glad that Ashley invited us up there to enjoy the cool water and playing hard.
Before I forget, I wanted to record something that happened with Porter. The boys all picked out popsicles to eat earlier this week. Unfortunately there was only one blue one left and both Porter and Jonas wanted it. Jonas was crying about it and Porter was so mad. I was extremely frustrated watching them fight over them. I told them that they could split it or I was going to throw the popsicles away if no one was willing to give it up. So, it got to the point where I threw them away. Porter went into the trash can and got it out. He was holding it and Jonas was still crying. Porter offered to split it with Jonas, but Jonas said he only wanted to the whole thing. Finally, even though Porter did not want to, on his own he gave the popsicle to Jonas. Then he sad down next to me and cried. Not a mad cry, but a sad cry. I told him how proud I was of his choice. Then as Jonas watched Porter crying, Jonas started crying because he didn't want Porter to be sad. He offered to split the popsicle with Porter. It was one of the sweetest moments. Porter said he could have it all and he went and got a different color. I know that was hard for Porter. David talked with him about sometimes even when do the right thing, we might still be sad because we gave up something we wanted. Porter is growing up and I need to remember this.
I realize I am extremely hard on my kids. I am always telling them what to do or getting frustrated with them. Today I had a difficult time with them and I wanted to cry. Then I read something about how I need to and can change. What I read were specific things I can change in how I communicate with them that should help the exact behaviors I am struggling with. Now, I have to get myself to change. They deserve so much better than I give them. I often feel like I am screwing them up and I want them to know that they are incredible boys and that I love them.
June flew past. We took the boys fishing during a free event at Fairmont Park. The boys all enjoyed it and ended up with new fishing rods. No one caught anything, but at least they had fun. We've enjoyed swimming at Ashley's pool and Gayle's pool. Jonas started up swim lessons again too. He is getting more and more comfortable in the water which is great.
We had the Neighborhood BBQ and I don't think I saw Porter the entire time. He usually takes off once he sees friends and we don't hear from him again until it's time to go home. Jonas and Mason stick close by. Jonas and Mason both rode in the bike parade. Actually, Mason rode and Jonas ran. It was pretty funny to watch.
David and I attended the open house for the Snowpine Lodge up at Alta. I was afraid I was a little under dressed because I was wearing jeans, but as we walked in, David told me I was in good company. Mitt Romney was also wearing jeans. We were sure we'd know many people at the party, but we ended up knowing a few people from the stake and Ashley and Mason Schmutz were there.
We hit up the park and splash pad at Liberty Park with friends and the boys played for hours. We had brought Ollie and Tanner along and then met Maria and her kids. I love when the boys just play and play for hours outside. It is so good for their little bodies to run and play.
I've spent many mornings/afternoons/evenings sitting in a lawn chair in the front yard as the boys play. Under the trees in our yard, the heat is bearable and it is so refreshing to enjoy the outdoors. Unfortunately I'm not the best playdate right now since I'm tired and big, but when they pause to snuggle me and read books or eat their popsicles, it is heaven on earth.
We took the boys on a trip to AZ to visit David's family. We stayed at a hotel nearby. On Monday, we swam and then we were able to take his parents out to dinner for their birthdays. On Tuesday, I took the boys to the Bass Pro Shop to explore while David took care of some drama with his brother Randall. We took the boys, Lillian and Matt and Jackson and Cassie to Urban Jungle. It's a trampoline/obstacle course place. Everyone had fun playing for 1 1/2 hours. It was the perfect place to get energy out, besides swimming, when it was so hot outside. Later in the afternoon his parents had everyone over for a BBQ and we swam. Grandpa rented a motorcycle for the kids to ride on too. Porter was the only one of our kids that took him up on a ride. I'm not surprised Jonas didn't go, but I thought maybe Mason would sit on it. But, for some reason he didn't want to. Maybe the loud noise scared him.
Wednesday, we spent the day having lunch with my friend Laurie and swimming with her kids. It was great to catch up with her and of course Porter loved having some older kids to play with. We had dinner at David's parents and then headed back to the hotel to get ready to fly out tomorrow.
The trip was really overwhelming for David. There is a lot of dysfunction in his family and unfortunately his parent's home is not the greatest place to be. His brothers come and go as they please and they are all dealing with major issues. David's mom kept telling Porter he should come back and stay with them by himself, but that will never happen. She had just previously told me all the things going on with his brother and what is brought into their home and it is no place I would have Porter be. There is no way his parents would be able to take care of him and deal with David's siblings. Plus, I feel like Porter would end up watching a ton of tv and playing a lot of video games if he was there. They just don't have the energy to take care of him and the environment is not a healthy, safe environment. It's really sad. I'm pretty sure we won't head back to AZ for a long time.
When we got back in town, David was already feeling better just to be home. He had one night off before he headed up to Girl's Camp. He took Jonas and Porter with him. Once again Porter was right in the mix and Jonas hung back. Jonas said, "Why do all these people have to be here?" Porter is our extrovert and Jonas is our introvert.
Mason and I had some special time at home. We met Ashley at City Creek for a bit and it was fun to play with him alone. He skipped as we walked. There was one incident where he got really embarassed and wanted to go home. I've never seen him get embarassed like that. He accidentally grabbed some other woman's hand bag. After it happened, he buried his head in his hands and cried and just kept saying, "I want to go home."
We had a going away party for Josh and Heidi Wible. We are so sad that they moved. They are such an incredible family and we have loved having their little boys around. Jacob, Chase and Connor will be greatly missed. The BBQ was a blast and our boys got to stay up until 10pm!
We got to attend another going away party for Celeste and Rich Davis, but this one was a Murder Mystery Party. David was Mr. "Ollie" Oliver and I was Ms. Lavender. It was fun to get dressed up and go even though I am such a terrible actress. David did a great job getting into character. He was a little bit nervous and he was always stroking other men's faces because his character could not grow facial hair. It was brilliant. He even won two prices for how he played the game. I was a shy, depressed school teacher. You'd think I could pull that character off easily, but I just kept laughing at everyone else as they got into character. Some people play their parts brilliantly.
The 4th of July was fun this year. We spent the morning/early afternoon at a carnival at Fitts Park in South Salt Lake. There were bounce houses, train rides, face painting and balloon making. Plus the boys were able to practice some "wood" chopping karate skills. Afterwards we enjoyed slushees. You'd think we'd hit the jackpot. In the afternoon we visited Gayle and then we spent the evening outside with Ashley.
Friday (7/5/19), the boys and I met Ashley, her friend Isabel and Isabel's family at Pineview Reservoir. The boys swam, paddleboarded, played in the sand and ate. I'm so glad that Ashley invited us up there to enjoy the cool water and playing hard.
Before I forget, I wanted to record something that happened with Porter. The boys all picked out popsicles to eat earlier this week. Unfortunately there was only one blue one left and both Porter and Jonas wanted it. Jonas was crying about it and Porter was so mad. I was extremely frustrated watching them fight over them. I told them that they could split it or I was going to throw the popsicles away if no one was willing to give it up. So, it got to the point where I threw them away. Porter went into the trash can and got it out. He was holding it and Jonas was still crying. Porter offered to split it with Jonas, but Jonas said he only wanted to the whole thing. Finally, even though Porter did not want to, on his own he gave the popsicle to Jonas. Then he sad down next to me and cried. Not a mad cry, but a sad cry. I told him how proud I was of his choice. Then as Jonas watched Porter crying, Jonas started crying because he didn't want Porter to be sad. He offered to split the popsicle with Porter. It was one of the sweetest moments. Porter said he could have it all and he went and got a different color. I know that was hard for Porter. David talked with him about sometimes even when do the right thing, we might still be sad because we gave up something we wanted. Porter is growing up and I need to remember this.
I realize I am extremely hard on my kids. I am always telling them what to do or getting frustrated with them. Today I had a difficult time with them and I wanted to cry. Then I read something about how I need to and can change. What I read were specific things I can change in how I communicate with them that should help the exact behaviors I am struggling with. Now, I have to get myself to change. They deserve so much better than I give them. I often feel like I am screwing them up and I want them to know that they are incredible boys and that I love them.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Last Day of School (6/5/19)
Today was Porter's last day of school. On Monday of this week when I watched him walking home from school, I was struck by how quickly the year had gone. I wasn't necessarily emotional about him finishing first grade, but as I joined all the other students, parents and faculty "clapping out" the sixth grade class, I definitely became a little emotional. I'm sure it didn't help that I was standing next to Adrianne who was watching her last child graduate from elementary school. And I had just talked with Adrianne about how she was feeling about the whole experience.
Then all the sixth graders said the Pledge of Allegiance one last time.
Porter has definitely had some highs and some lows during his kindergarten year. He has made friends and lost friends. His first friend was Luci. He wrote about her near the beginning of the year, but at some point their friendship changed. According to Porter one day she said he couldn't play with her. Then there was about a month and a half where things were rough between him and Luci. He didn't want to go to school anymore. He was constantly talking about it and dissecting everything she did or said. Fortunately, he was able to move through that phase and ended up having fun at the end and making a great friend in Scotty Pickett. They both love to read and to read Harry Potter, so it seems like they bonded over this.
Throughout the year Porter lost 4 teeth, became an excellent reader, enhanced his writing skills so his writing is much for legible and developed his understanding of math concepts. Although he says he didn't learn anything at school, I can definitely see his growth over the year. We will miss his teacher, Mrs. Emily Ward. David and I have grown fond of her and her husband Davis. Hopefully we'll maintain a friendship with them.
After school today we celebrated by joining lots of friends at the Quigley's for popsicles and then heading back to our place to have water balloon/gun fights and eat more popsicles. We had several friends over to play too. We played for hours and the kids loved it. Us parents relaxed in the shade.
The Mitchell's, Zech's, Wible's, Kirry's, Brown's and a new friend, Kasey and her kids, all joined in the fun. It was the perfect last day of school.
Yesterday they had a field day in the morning. It was so much fun. There were several stations and the kids rotated through in groups. There were large blow up waterslides, slip n slides and a maze. There were "bird sprayers" (water guns in the shape of a bird), pool noodles and bean bag tosses. Mason and Jonas even joined in on some of the fun. I decided I want to rent a huge blow up water slide and invite a lot of friends over to play. Now I just have to figure out where to put it. My yard is not that big. But, the kids would have hours of fun.
Porter is excited to be a first grader. Now we just have to figure out how to get through summer and all survive!
Then all the sixth graders said the Pledge of Allegiance one last time.
Porter has definitely had some highs and some lows during his kindergarten year. He has made friends and lost friends. His first friend was Luci. He wrote about her near the beginning of the year, but at some point their friendship changed. According to Porter one day she said he couldn't play with her. Then there was about a month and a half where things were rough between him and Luci. He didn't want to go to school anymore. He was constantly talking about it and dissecting everything she did or said. Fortunately, he was able to move through that phase and ended up having fun at the end and making a great friend in Scotty Pickett. They both love to read and to read Harry Potter, so it seems like they bonded over this.
Throughout the year Porter lost 4 teeth, became an excellent reader, enhanced his writing skills so his writing is much for legible and developed his understanding of math concepts. Although he says he didn't learn anything at school, I can definitely see his growth over the year. We will miss his teacher, Mrs. Emily Ward. David and I have grown fond of her and her husband Davis. Hopefully we'll maintain a friendship with them.
After school today we celebrated by joining lots of friends at the Quigley's for popsicles and then heading back to our place to have water balloon/gun fights and eat more popsicles. We had several friends over to play too. We played for hours and the kids loved it. Us parents relaxed in the shade.
The Mitchell's, Zech's, Wible's, Kirry's, Brown's and a new friend, Kasey and her kids, all joined in the fun. It was the perfect last day of school.
Yesterday they had a field day in the morning. It was so much fun. There were several stations and the kids rotated through in groups. There were large blow up waterslides, slip n slides and a maze. There were "bird sprayers" (water guns in the shape of a bird), pool noodles and bean bag tosses. Mason and Jonas even joined in on some of the fun. I decided I want to rent a huge blow up water slide and invite a lot of friends over to play. Now I just have to figure out where to put it. My yard is not that big. But, the kids would have hours of fun.
Porter is excited to be a first grader. Now we just have to figure out how to get through summer and all survive!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)