Helping & Birthdays

     We had fun this week. We helped Kayli and Tanner move into their new house and we couldn't be happier for them and so proud that they're able to buy their own home so early on in their marriage. We also had fun celebrating Carter and Mark's birthdays.

When you have dogs you have fur, EVERYWHERE! And when you have a piano on a trailer you still play it.

    Tanner and Kayli generously treated us to a yummy dinner at their apartment complex as a thank you for our help. The kids were over joyed at the chance to swim and a little bummed that they only got to swim there the one time.

A rare moment when all the kids are together and getting along.

This cake never disappoints! 

It also served double duty, which is helpful!

19 never looked so tall!

These sunglasses are the sunglasses that sunglasses would wear if sunglasses wore sunglasses, at least that's what the box said. Ha ha Pit Viper are his 'jam'.

    And for really no real reason we bought the princess her own bike. This photo was taken after she took a little spill but she's become quite competent at riding this bike, over the past couple days, even though it's still a bit too big for her and she loves it. Now she just needs a cute little basket attached to the handlebars.

Got to love the banana seat!

     So that's our week. I can't believe it's already May! I sure love warm weather!

Easter 2019!

     There's nothing better then an Easter egg hunt with cousins. Bonus eggs were had by the select few after the official hunt because I forgot to put my eggs out for hiding, oops!

My egg hunters are lessening quickly. We went from seven to 3 in what seems like a very short time.

Cousins are the best!

Cute Kmetzsch's all over the place.

    We also went to see this cute girl, Lydia, in her Robin Hood play. She was the cutest Maid Marian I've ever seen.

      Pack meeting was this week and they had a Rain-gutter Regata. McClane was so excited until his first race and then all hell broke loose when he lost and then threw a tantrum and ran off. We won't dwell on the fact that the kid he raced 'cheated' by making his boat different then the rest. Anyway, it was a bust and I can't wait until this whole cub scout program is obsolete!

Watching yourself lose can be quite upsetting!

     And the middle child had his 14th birthday today. He was hoping for more of a celebration but he's just going to have to keep on waiting until Sunday when we have cake and ice cream in honor of his AND Mark's birthday. Of course he still got the traditional balloons, soda and a gift to open and Kayli checked him out of school and took him shopping for a few clothing items and then put him to work helping her move so it wasn't a total loss.

Just what he wanted. And the hat and shirt are two of the new things Kayli got him.

    So that's our fun week. The rest of our weekend will be spent helping Kayli and Tanner move into their new house and who knows what else. Only 34 more sleeps until summer break!

Prom and a little more

     Isaac's first prom experience was pretty great. He had a fun date, a fun group and he did it all on a pretty tight budget. He actually spent less on the whole deal, dinner, his suit, corsage, tickets and new converse, for less then his date spent on her dress!

The corsage was so pretty, the pearl bracelets are a genius idea!

     To put my mind at ease, Isaac agreed to Mark chauffeuring the group so I didn't have to stress about Isaac driving my car in the city and Mark was a really good sport about it and even dressed nice, per Isaac's request. He even walked one of the girls to her door after her date ditched her at the end of the night.

Handsome boys.

You can't see it very well but Isaac's tie and Smalls' collar are almost a perfect match so Isaac thought about taking the dog as an accessories to his outfit.

Isaac and his cute date, Maddy J. 

The whole group.  For their day date they went to the gardens at Thanksgiving Point.

      We got coupons for free shakes from the orthodontist after a little mix up with McClane's expander and we finally cashed them in Monday night. Seven shakes would have cost me well over $35 so that was awesome!

Happy kids!

    After shakes we decided to visit a park we haven't been to in awhile and came upon a 'crime' scene. ha ha

They had to pose for a photo in exchange for the park visit. 5 out of 7 cute kids.

Charlie had a fun visit with her 'kindergarten pal' Buster.

These three girls never fail to have a fun time together.

      So it's been a fun week. We had rainy days but the last few days have been sunny and warm and the excitement for Spring and Summer are palpable! And only 40 more days until summer break begins!

Spring Break in Goblin Valley 2019

     I told you I'd have photos from the kids fun in Goblin Valley and I definitely do. Greg was really great about taking photos and a couple kids, McClane and Charlie, were especially happy to pose and may have even instigated photo 'shoots'.

Some rocks were more 'interesting' then others. Awkward!

I love how well these two get along.

Mark was a great help and the younger kids were so happy he was with them on this adventure.

Charlie loves her neighbor friends.

Oldest and youngest brothers.

These kids are pretty lucky to have such an awesome dad.

     Those few days on my own were pretty nice and peaceful and I'm glad these kids had such a fun time with their dad and friends but maybe I'll join them next time, or maybe not.
      Tomorrow is prom so stay tune next week for photos of Isaac with his prom date.

Alone at last!

    The kids are enjoying their spring break and I'm enjoying some peace and quiet, at least for the last four days of it! Isaac is still home because he couldn't get out of work but thankfully he's good to keep to himself and not make too much of a mess outside of his room. Plus it was a great opportunity to take him shopping for prom, which is a week from Saturday. We bought him a nice suit at Kayli's store, only $33, got the corsage ordered and even convinced him to get his hair cut. (Sorry I forgot to take a photo but you'll see how handsome he looks when we get his prom photos.) 

    The kids are in Goblin Valley with Greg and a few neighbor families and I'm sure they're having a blast and once Greg gets home I'm sure he'll have lots of photos to share with me for next weeks blog post. In the mean time, I've been content just to relax at home. I've been watching a lot of TV putting a dent in all the shows I've had recorded from HGTV. I've done some reading and my house hasn't  needed much attention aside from the first initial cleaning I did right after the kids left. It's so nice to walk through my kitchen at any given time of the day and it's still clean!

Snapchat filter to hide the fact that I didn't bother to shower or do my hair today!

That Property Brothers number was 20 yesterday.

The view from our security camera, no kids, no mess!

And the current book I'm enjoying in-between shows.

      I'm looking forward to watching General Conference with no distractions, it's going to be so weird! I'm glad to have a break from my regular crazy life but I won't lie, I'm going to be happy to have the kids back and especially my sleeping companion, oh wait, Smalls is still here! Ha ha! If only we could have sent the kids and dog to Goblin Valley and Greg and I could have enjoyed the quiet and clean house together. Maybe next time!

Joys!

    We had lots of 'joy' this week! Isaac is getting into the routine of working three days a week and apparently a 5-hour shift was just a bit much.

The joy of being a working teenager.

    I bought a couple new lamps and McClane helped me put them together and couldn't have been more proud of himself and the new lamps.

The joy of using the lamp you helped assemble.

     McClane is one step closer to getting his expander fitted. (The metal rings had to be sized just perfectly and next week the expander will be attached to them.)

The joy of orthodontia.

    Charlie and her friends went nuts with the sidewalk chalk and this was by far my favorite creation.

The joy of chalk handprints.

    And Charlie FINALLY lost her first tooth. She's been working on this 'loose' tooth for a couple months now.

The joy of loosing your FIRST TOOTH!

    Our spring break has officially begun and even though we don't have huge plans there is a camping trip planned for the end of the week and a few days at home alone for me! I never thought I'd be so excited to be left home alone!

Golden Child.

This is has been a slow week.  McClane had spacers put in his teeth and impressions made in preparation for his expander and then braces. While we waited at the orthodontist we entertained ourselves with snapchat filters. McClane was a very good sport with all the awkwardness and discomfort of the work done in his mouth. He's a little anxious and excited for what comes next. I just hope he continues to be cooperative and happy during and after his visits. And just to brag on him a bit, he's my best reader and speller out of seven kids, so far. He generally gets nearly perfect scores on his spelling tests and his reading skills are beyond any I've seen with his older siblings, it's such a treat to go to a parent/teacher conference and hear positive feedback for a change!

      McClane's a rockstar! And if you weren't aware, Spring has officially arrived, at least according to the calendar. Actually the weather has been very spring like and I'm loving every minute of it!