Rainy Halloween

 

Boo To You

Last Friday was Bryan's annual Halloween extravaganza, the Boo Bash. We picked the kids up early from school and changed once we arrived. We took Athena, Ariel, the Men in Black...

...and a dragon.

The  boys were impressed with how many people knew who they were.

Topher's favorite room of the event had black lights, face paint, and the song Baby Shark playing. He ignored the candy and danced.

We visited Whoville. And the boys were very dedicated to staying in character through all the pictures.

Realism

You guys, I need to change my image.

When asked how I'm doing, I try hard to always give an honest answer. I may not list everything I'm feeling because I generally have several thoughts and emotions happening at once and that would be overwhelming for the person asking. Instead, I choose one item, usually the easiest answer is "tired."

Apparently I say this so often that when Phoebe, in a fit of tween artistic angst, drew my picture last week, she used it as her inspiration. When I asked about the picture she said, "I tried to draw you angry, but it came out tired."

Great.

And for the last week I've repeatedly thought about how my children will not remember me as a mom who cooked great food or a mom who read to them or a mom who sang with them and let them wear costumes to the store. Nope, they'll remember that I was tired. And that I said "no" a lot. That is not what I was going for.

Well, what Phoebe wrote on my shirt in the picture is true, I do already need a nap tomorrow.

Heartache and Hope

We had a rough week at our house. Aside from the illness, there was a lot of contention, lots of raised voices, lots of stubborn pride. By Sunday night I felt completely drained. Then I was reminded that there are several people I love that are going through really awful, hard things. And my sorrow and pain for my own little family was swallowed by my concern and heartache for those around me.

With those loved ones on my mind, I stumbled across a quote from Jeffrey R. Holland. I have loved this quote for a long time, but it takes on new meaning during this difficult time.

Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven. But for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come. -Jeffrey R. Holland

If you're reading this and thinking, "She's writing about me, she knows what we're going through," you're probably right. But you're not the only person that I'm thinking of. There are several, some who read this blog, some who don't. However, if you feel that this message is for you, then it is.

I'll add my own words. Keep moving forward. Surround yourselves with love and support and faith. Remember that being kind, no matter how impossible it seems, is always the right choice. Build your testimony (to quote one of my favorite talks from the latest General Conference) "everyday, everyday, everyday." Heavenly Father loves you, Jesus Christ loves you, and I love you too.

Late Night Creating, Halloween Edition

Thankfully We Have a Big Couch

This is what my house looked like on Tuesday. 

Sophie had a little stomach bug last week (including throwing up into a bowl in the van and then two days later throwing up in the parking lot of our hotel), but now has a cold and a big cough. Phoebe came home from school early because of an upset stomach. Peter missed two days of school because of stomach pains. Thankfully neither of them threw up. Cooper, on the other hand, had the distinction of throwing up into a trashcan near the self-checkout section of Walmart. He stayed home on Wednesday. Bryan came home on Tuesday, changed into pajamas, and didn't eat because his stomach was tender as well.

Topher has been okay so far. I was fine until this morning. But that's okay, all the kids went back to school today, so I slept when Topher did and tried hard not to move too much when he was awake. Hopefully it passes our family quickly.

Yes, I do think we get sick more often than most. No, I don't know why.

Getting Out Their Wiggles

Yesterday I said we played at the church after the baptism. What I didn't say was that my kids spent most of the time running around the gym and singing at the tops of their lungs. It was Saturday and most of the people were gone at that point, so I didn't stop them.

Also, that's when I pulled out my fancy camera.

Nathan's Baptism

We took a mini road trip this weekend to upstate New York to attend our nephew Nathan's baptism. We drove up on Friday evening and back home Saturday night. We were all pretty beat on Sunday, but we're happy we made the drive. We especially loved seeing our family!

Here we are, getting ready in the hotel on Saturday morning and taking advantage of the TV being on.

The baptism was great. Aunt Melinda spoke about baptism and the Holy Ghost and Uncle Jake performed the ordinance. Everyone in the family was invited to sing As I Have Loved You for a musical number. I loved it.

After the baptism we stayed at the church playing while a few people picked up sandwiches. This game of Uno was apparently so intense that afterward Cooper came over to me and said, "That game of Uno felt like gambling. I liked it." Yes, I am mildly concerned.

photo credit: Melinda

After lunch we all changed our clothes and visited a lovely state park a short drive away. Peter, Aunt Melinda, Uncle Ben, and Papa Ron hiked up the waterfall.

photo credit: Melinda

Meanwhile, the rest of us played on the playground.

The day that we drove up, before we left, I mentioned to a friend where we were going and she rapturized about how beautiful it would be this time of year. I realized she was right and took my fancy camera and vaguely coordinating clothes. Bryan's dad graciously took pictures of our family while some of us looked at the camera and smiled and some of us made funny faces.

Then we got a few candid shots.

photo credit: Bryan

When we were all sufficiently chilly, we went to Jake and Melinda's house and enjoyed eating dinner, visiting, and playing with cousins. We even got a picture with Nathan before we headed home.

Nathan, we're so happy you chose to be baptized and that we were able to be there!

Pictures or it Didn't Happen

We just finished a lovely afternoon and evening visit with Bryan's parents and his brother Ben. We chatted, the kids talked about school and Halloween, Sophie treated Ben like a human jungle gym and he was a really good sport about it. We ate a delicious dinner that Bryan did the lion's share of cooking for. We had a fun Family Home Evening that included acting out and guessing different emotions. We had bunches and bunches of hugs as the kids said goodbye while simultaneously pushing off bedtime.

And I didn't take any pictures at all.

But it still happened.

Thanks for visiting, guys!

One More Photogenic Kid

The final school picture for the 2019-2020 school year arrived in my inbox this morning. I think all four pictures turned out beautifully.