Unobvious October

Maddie and Nick were in the paper this week.  We're still waiting to hear if their relay times were enough to qualify for state. 

Eddie made up this trick.  I'm barely hanging by my legs.

Mo's turn.

Ryan decided to also incorporate yoga.

Molly spent at least an hour preparing for a "bear to bear" wedding.  We each received invitations and the boys added ties to their garb.

Eddie was certainly among the guest invited.

Ryan was the officiator, and his eight little words meant everything to this bear family.

By dinner time, their family was well established.

A final home meet ended the swimming season.  Nick swam in the 100m free style relay.

Here's Maddie diving off for her turn.  They are quite the athletes.

Saturday morning we cleaned the church and ran my errands.  It's rare I drive Nick any where these days.

Austin wanted to make birdhouses, so he did.  Clever boy.

I spent much of the day preparing then adulting at the stake dance.  It was epic.  The music was the best it's ever been and the youth danced every second. 

Sunday Maddie spoke, the children sang, and I just listened to it all.  Austin just closed his eyes and napped.

Updates:

Maisie: "I have a temple appointment by myself."

Meg: "I'm tyring to make the babies gain weight."

Andy: "I'm off everything processed.  I eat acai bowls every morning."

Andy: After looking at the pictures of Meg's ankles, "That's what people with diabetes look like.  Your ankles look horrendous."

"I'll send in my ab workout, and y'all can get a taste of what I do every morning."

"I always carry floss picks with me."

"Being around President and Sister Galland is always pretty awesome."

 

Molly's #7

Molly is sitting on my lap, and she's choosing the best pictures from today.  "This was the best birthday, ever!"

It's safe to say that Saturday birthdays are kind of the best -- everyone is home and everyone loves on the birthday person.

Our littlest girl is SEVEN!  She gave me a list of gifts requests two monts ago, and she made a countdown chart.  Molly is so excited to be seven.  

The silky jammies, curlers, missing tooth and voracious card reading are the typical characteristics of my daughters that turn seven.  The special bit about Molly, is that she spends most of the day creating with tools that I would NEVER have let the older girls use at her age -- glue guns, paper cutters, paint, oil pastels and 

As our children grow older, they spend their birthdays with fewer and fewer silbings.  I had to recount this picture twice to make sure everyone was in it.  

One of Molly's gifts was real makeup, and Maddie helped her apply it.

Then! We invited the children from primary to come to Molly's first friend party.  She wanted a carnival.  We gave her 10 games where the winners won yellow tickets.

Those tickets were them redeemed in Eddie's store.  He was the perfect shop keeper.  "I remember you, you've already come through three times."

Little Lady was tickled.

That same evening we celebrated again with Grandma and Grandpa.  Molly wanted a hot fudge chocolate charcuterie board -- I delivered.  Molly's song

She's my little friend, and I'm her little mother.

After a long shower and quiet remembranes of the day, she snuggled down deep into my bed.  I let her.  

 Molly can:

• Do back and front walkovers
• Play piano music with fingering
• Read every book
• Cackle like a wild woman
• Cry like a baby
• Keep up with Eddie and Ryan
• Turn Nick into a teaser
• Turn Austin to mush
• Create cardboard houses
• Lose every card game and still be game to play again
• Jump on the tramp for hours
• Swim indefinately
• Testify readily both at home and in sacrament meeting
• Quote poetry, "The Living Christ" and "The Family Proclamation"
• Sing when she wants, when she's not thinking about what next to create
• Make everyone fall in love with her enchanting ways 

She's the best baby we'll ever have.

Fall Break 2023

 We spent one glorious week at HOME! Our staycation was exactly right to get our projects and our time realigned.  Here are some of the very best bits:

Austin and our gloriuos youth went to the temple.  They were able to perform baptisms for the dead.  "It's always so nice to be in the temple," Nick concluded.  He's very right.

Meanwhile, I took my little friends to run errands all around town.  We were preparing for Meg's baby shower.

Wednesday evening Melijah and Maisie came to town!  So many tears of joy and love.  Andy called right when they arrived, so it almost felt like we were all together again.  Soon.  It's going to happen soon.

Austin spent the first half of each day working in the yard.  He trimmed trees, planted the winter garden, repared the roof, removed reno debris, and practially burned down the house.  When he came in from this morning conflagration, his face was literally burned.  "It got hot.  Really, really hot.  Fast."

All throughout the week we played several rounds of our new game, "Wingspan."  There was never a repeat winner, but always repeat players.  I just play for the little eggs.

Spoiler: We spent the afternoon preparing our Bob Ross Halloween canvasses.  Eek.  This year is hopefully so good.  The finished results made us laugh until tears flowed freely.  

Friday we spent much of the morning preparing for our weekend of entertaining.  This little coed picked up right where she left off.  She's kind and helpful and sings the day away.  We've missed her.

This little freshy didn't miss a beat.

This very nice SIL wrangled the noobs and cleaned the windows better than ever before.

Maisie and Nick resurrected the pink DS gaming systems.  I heard them cackling and screaming late into the evening.  We also played flag football. Austin was the all-time QB.  Elijah was the easy touchdown.  Meg galloped instead of ran, well it was more of a side step.  Maisie, "I told myself I would be goated at football, and now I am."  Nick made up all the team's plays.  Maddie, "Elijah stayed tight on me," she didn't score one point, which is rare.  Eddie caught the sneaky passes.  Ryan caught the Hail Mary's.  Molly ran her plays and was only met by older brothers who showed no mercy.  Good times.

Friday night we hosted the MUHS swim team carbo load.  Austin made over-the-top pastas, and I made sweet rolls.  When the swimmers came into the kitchen to get seconds and thirds, we whooped and cheered them on.

Saturday morning we prepared for Meg's baby shower.

It was glorious.

That baby girl I built is building two baby girls.  The venue was grand, the shower guests were even more fabulous, and the honoree was generous with her words and gracious in her gratitude.  How blessed we are to love and be loved.  (Life is still all about the first two great commandments.  And when we live His laws, love is certainly a fruit of that growth in living.)

Simultaneously, Austin was with Maddie and Nick at a qualifier in Phoenix.  They both swam well.

Early Sunday Melijah and Maisie made their commute home.  It is always so sad to see them go, but there is nothing here for them anymore.  Those three keep my home ringing with laughter and singing.  They leave clean kitchen spaces.  They ask the younger siblings beautiful questions.  The big girls make perfect dollhouse partners.  The SIL is the perfect biggest boy to our four boys.  

We all trapsed back to bed, and my eyes finally popped open at 9:17am.  YAY!  I found this girl making Christmas presents -- her toothy grin is too cute. 

Quotes from Elder Babcock's call this week:

Me: "Your sweater is handsome."

Andy: "Thanks, I took it from another apartment."

"Over 700 days gone."

"We're baptizing on the 22nd and two times on the 29th."

"We have zone conference this week.  I'll be teaching about obedience.
"Our AP trio is Elder Phillips (from Phoenix), Elder Bond (from Mesa) and me."

"We went roller skating today."

"Nashville water is 'sus'."

October Arrives

Maddie wore her Carrie Underwood t-shirt to school Monday morning.

Eddie, Ryan, Molly and I went fishing during our school hours.

Molly caught the biggest rainbow trout in the fish hatchery, and Ryan caught a smaller one.

We took them home and cooked them for dinner.  (We watched a YouTube video on how to do it.)

I found these twinnies buckled up in my backseat; Molly has been practicing.

Austin spent the evening decorating the chandelier.  

FHE was brilliant!  Here's the proof: The Armor of God

Molly found the "fairy toast" recipe in her mathbook just in time for breakfast. 

Success!

Just a little Potter spell casting happening by the font hedge.

We leared about the Twin Towers and the 9/11 attack.  Eddie built the towers. 

Nick and Maddie had a home swim meet.  Here is Nick diving off the platform.  He made up a two second deficit for his relay team.  

Maddie is by far the youngest on her relay, but she holds her own.

Austin took the boys to Sedona.  They all love a good scramble.

They also love a good build.  They were pretty excited about their dam and boats.

Saturday I went to party and took this charcuterie board.  I think it's terrifical. (I had already started my fast, so I didn't eat or drink anything, but my friends said it was delish). But my fast was the focus of my Sabbath-preparation ponder.  Going without food is now easy for me, and so fasting seems like I'm not sacrificing hard enough.  What was given to me is that the hardest part of fasting is learning how to focus my thoughts on Jesus Christ for that full 24 hours.  I was not successful, but I did better.  The strain is not the physical, but the spiritual.

Sunday morning was slow and superb.  Nick won their "Puerto Rico" game.

Due to Fall Break, our family was the only one with youth in the ward at church.  She came with me to RS, and she really loved it.  I love her.

We then loved Bobby and fed him dinner and birthday cake.  He's kind of the nicest man ever created.

Here's my little pumpking I've been growing on my counter for the last few weeks.  Please bless and pumpkin grows.

Updates from the relocators:

Elder Babcock: "I just got that infinite spawn for Lulus."  He then explained that President Galland is sponsored by KUHL.  Austin noted that and asked, 'Can he get me 50% off KUHL pants?"  Also, "The new PMG app is like a new area book.  The six key indicators are so freeking awesome!"s

He then passed by his bathroom counter, and we saw the supplements he's taking.  "Yah, I just take random supplements.  When other elders leave them, I finish off their herbal vitamins.  It's the healthiest thing I do for myself."  

Maisie added, "It's been a long day.  I've spent like five hours studying!"  She then showed us a few things she's purchased.  

Nick pushed back, "She spending all her money!"

Maisie, "That I get up at 4am to to earn.  Now I'm eating ramen with an egg and peppers."

Andy: "That's rank."

Meg noticed, "Dad, are you reading through the school board packet?" He was.

 And, "I'm 28 weeks and have 4.4 pounds of baby inside of me."

Another beautiful week.