An Era Ends

Presidents' Day began with a the hearty singing of the jaunty tune the 46 presidents.  Austin followed along on his poster and we sang out loud and clear.

The rest of the morning Austin led the troups in the dismantling of the swing set. Austin builds the swingset It's alomst 10 years old, but it was leaning and Ryan took a hammer to it?  I did not hold back my reproach.  It's the end of a very sweet era.

They worked hard together outside.  I let them.  I stayed inside and set up March decor and de-grimed my kitchen.

I croched these lilies of the valley for my friend's birthday gift.  "How nice.  They will hang quite nicely in my car and be non-reflective."  Lucky Wendy.

Nerf guns are the game of choice this week.  Quivers constructed from Amazon boxes velcro strips was the least of the mess.  Darts are EVERYWHERE.  It's not the darts that are the problem, but several children bite the tips off the darts, chew them up and spit them out.  That's my issue with the situation.

We did manage to capture in slow motion the tower dropping.  I love her thrilled face at the end. One Shot

My Venus flytrap is blooming.  Cute.

Everyday victuals.

Friday Eddie and I decided to make doughnut holes.  They were the best I've ever made.  The dough was just the right consistency, the oil was heated to perfection, and the proof is that I burned my tastebuds because I couldn't wait for the heavenly treat to cool.

Molly taped a napkin to Eddie to solve the sticky fingers issue.

Lunch divine = food rainbow and hot doughnut holes

Saturday morning started at 4:28 am.  Maddie needed a ride to the school for her track meet.  At 5:45am we left with Eddie for his state wrestling tourney also in Phoenix.

He wrestled so well.

He took third.  He should have won the first-place match, next year.

After sitting in bleachers for five hours, we then drove to Maddie's meet and sat in bleachers for another five hours.  Luckily, we found a spot in the shade and enjoyed being outside.  Maddie won all three of her heats and placed herself 15th in the division as a first-race freshman.  Look how she's smoing these girls in the 200m.

After a very long day, we stopped for the burgers and then headed up the mountian.

Nick spent the day being a very lovely mother.  He took Ryan to his football game, kept Molly protected there, then made the RS soup for grandma.  He dropped off the soup and picked up the crockpot. "No, problem," was his congenial reply.  We found them happily devicing together when we arrived home.

While sitting for 10 hours, I crocheted this little birthday cake.

Sunday I finally attended our new ward.  It felt different, but I wrote down ten names to memorize.  That afternoon Eddie spotted a coyote in Grandpa's field, so they all got up to shoot it.

They played "Sorry."  Nick won.

Every Sunday night the best women in my life (all five sisters, my angel mother, and her angel mother) Google Meet and discuss the upcoming CFM.  We share what we've learned about Jesus Christ.  It's a blessed event.  Our Meets together prove that Jesus Christ is with us.

Relocator updates:

Maisie and boyfriend George went to the temple.  She fed him twice-baked sweet potato fajitas afterwards.  "How domestic." (Maisie asked her roomate to put the potatoes in the oven while they were there, so they ate right when they got back.) They wear matching overalls.

Andy goes on first dates 5 nights each week -- he's still looking for the right girl, his girl.  He reported that he bought a small blender for his protein shakes.  That he's almost eating cleanly -- he bought a bag of dill pickle potato chips that were only $2.50 for a family size -- so that meant his diet was perfect.  Chips?  I have a long way to go.

The Armstrongs are living so fully.  The babies are eight pounds now, so little-mother Meg has grown 10 pounds of baby.  We calculated that she's producing 2.625 gallons of milk each week.  They stay awake after the 5am feeding, so that for the next three hours they can exercise, study and progress.