Oct. '18- Week 3- NFBD, UEA, McKenna's BD!, Pumpkin Painting, This is the Place, Pumpkin Walk, Talk in Sacrament Meeting.

Monday the carpet guys came to relay the carpet in the basement after the flood.  I got a bid for new rain gutters.  We went to the Nelson Family BD party at the McKellar's celebrating October BDs.  

Tuesday I attended Jan Evans' Scripture class.  That afternoon at ballet, Anna went to class nice this time, but unfortunately got a nice goose egg on her head when she accidentally ran into another girl.  Ben had Jr. Jazz that evening and I worked on cleaning pictures off my phone.  

Wednesday I went walking with Rachael around Lewis Park while the kids played.  We also went to school to sit with McKenna during her lunch since it was her BD spotlight day.  After school, we went to Hogan Park with the Roths.  The kids had piano, I vacuumed the basement and Zerorez came to clean the basement carpet as well as the stairs.  I went to music with Anna.  That evening we had a pizza party with cousins at Grandma and Grandpa's house to welcome Mia home from Brasil!  

Thursday morning Bart Nelson came by to look at the cracked concrete in the back to see about fixing it.  Then, with it being the UEA break from school, I took them all to get flu shots! We had Keva Juice and Great Harvest bread for lunch.  We played at the fire station park and then went to the music store to look for a new piano book for McKenna to help spark some new interest in her playing.  The Bramalls came by to help move basement furniture back on the carpet.  Ben had batting practice with Chuck Thompson.  We watched a cute Netflix show called "Room on the Broom." I worked on my Sacrament meeting talk.  

Friday was McKenna's 10th Birthday!!  Double Digits!  We opened present first thing in the morning.  

She loved her "M" necklace. 

McKenna’s Birthday Interview (1/9/19 )- 10 Years Old

What is your favorite color? Teal and lavender

What is your favorite toy? Squisheez and knick knacks

What is your favorite fruit?  pomegranates

What is your favorite TV Show? Liv and Maddie

What is your favorite movie? Wonder

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?   Noodles and dippin’

What is your favorite outfit to wear? Grey leggings and sparkly blue shirt

What is your favorite game to play? Imaginary game- Royalty

What is your favorite snack? Nutrigrain bar

What is your favorite animal? Panda and Harp Seal

What is your favorite song? Pentatonix New Year’s Day

What is your favorite book? Dork Diaries

Who is your best friend? Lia, Gwen, Aliza, Olivia, Brittana, Camille,

What is your favorite cereal? Marshmallow Mateys

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swim

What is your favorite thing to drink? Sprite

What is your favorite holiday? Chritsmas

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Blanket and Beanie Boos

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Honey Nut Cheerios, Sweet oatmeal

What do you want to have for dinner? Pasta Salad

What do you want to be when you grow up? Performer

What is your favorite thing to do with our family? Go on trips

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What is your favorite thing to do in school? School play- Peter Pan

The kids played school while I got ready for the day.  Then we picked up Brittana and headed to the Gateway for Dan's work Pumpkin painting festival.  The best part was when Dan asked the DJ to surprise McKenna and have the crowd sing happy birthday to her.  They were doing a hula hoop contest when the DJ stopped everyone and had her come up on stage. 

Her surprise face was perfect!  She was so happy!

Then we headed to This is The Place for "Little Haunts" with almost all the Websters.  We did a creature encounter, trick or treating, pony rides, panning for gold, and the candy cannon.  

After that we went to Ugurt for a treat and we sang "Happy Birthday" to McKenna! 

So glad we could do much fun stuff on McKenna's birthday and spend time with Brittana and cousins! After Ugurt we headed up to Mantua.  Sadly, it was not the best nights sleep since Ben, Anna, and Bethany all woke up in the night.  

Saturday we ate and got ready for the day and then went to the Logan Pumpkin Walk with Mickelle and Jonathan.  It was beautiful weather.  Here are our favorite scenes.    

Greatest Showman

Hungry Caterpillar, Where's Waldo, 

Awesome Missionary display

Shrek, Nemo, and the miniature Pumpkin Walk scene.  

Always love the cut outs.  

We headed back to Bountiful in time for Anna to go to a gymnastics birthday party for school friend Emma.  We got groceries and organized the basement and Ben got a haircut.  That night Mickelle babysat while we took McKenna out to shop for a new birthday outfit.  

Sunday I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting based on Elder Uchtdorf's talk "Believe Love Do." I loved being able to study that talk and tie it into the doctrine of Christ.

Oct. '18- Week 2- Jr. Jazz, Bethany Field Trip, Fall Festival, McKenna's Show, Webster October BDs.

Monday was a normal day of laundry, homework, vacuuming, and Desi came over to play.  That evening we took John and Rachael Alexander to ODT's "Thriller!"  Always love that show!  I left Alice for the first time with Mickelle.  We left a bottle and Mickelle tried to give it to her for bedtime, but she wouldn't take it.  Oh well.  

Tuesday I went to Jan Evans' scripture class but this time took a turn in the co op nursery.  That afternoon Anna had a hard time going to ballet again.  She said she would just miss me too much.  :(  But it was pretty embarrassing to have her crying, screaming, and clinging to me when I left.  Ben had his first Jr. Jazz practice/game that night and enjoyed it.  The girls liked climbing on the rock wall at the rec center.  Dan worked that night on hiding our TV cords in the wall.  

Wednesday I went back to the temple for the first time since having Alice!  I did some Initiatories and saw Dan's mom who was working her regular shift. 

Thursday Anna had a play date at Annie's house.  Ben and McKenna got checked out for school for a bit to help with a work event for Dan. Cutest little sign holders! 

I went with Bethany on a preschool field trip to the Pack Farms Pumpkin Patch.  Bethany called it a "punkatch."  Unfortunately, my phone kind of crapped out and started having some major issues with the screen going dark.  Thankfully, Lara and Hailey were there as well and she got some great pictures!  The girls loved this rolley slide! 

I got this cute video of Bethany and Alice squealing at each other! 

That night I went to dinner with Mickelle, Bonnie, and my long time friend Mary who was in town from Germany for a wedding!  It was so great to catch up as always!  

Friday I went to ladies lunch and ran some errands.  That night was the kids' Fall Festival at their school.  It was great fun!  Anna kept saying, "I look like the real Cinderella!"  The girls especially loved being able to wear make-up.  After kids were in bed Dan put together a new end table for our family room.  

Saturday we attended Ben's friend Jordan Slaugh's baptism!  Dan helped the Ulmers move into their new house, mowed, and stained our new stairs in the back.  McKenna had two shows that day with Backstage.  Grandma and Grandpa were able to come to the first show.  Then we went to dinner at Z Brother's Pizza and I headed back to see McKenna's second show.  Mickelle, Jonathan, and Camille Roth came to that one.  

The show was called "Bring Me Back to Life."  They sung and danced to songs with Halloween themes like I Want Candy, I'm In Love With a Monster, Bad Blood...

Their makeup was especially awesome! 

Link to show

After much deliberation, I decided to give Alice's hair (mullet) a trim.  I was pretty nervous I wouldn't be able to make it look even, but I think I did alright. :) 

Sunday was a normal day at church.  Sunday school was about eternal marriage and YW was about counting our blessings.  That afternoon we watched "Charlie Brown, Great Pumpkin" and "American Legends" (Tall Tales).  We had Webster family dinner that night to celebrate October birthdays which is our McKenna. :) 

Oct. '18- Week 1- School Pictures!, Duel Creek Hike, Alice Pig Tails and 7 Months, Basement Flood, General Conference

We got school pictures back! Picture of a picture.  

 Quite possibly one of my favorite memes ever! 

 Monday Anna went to Emi Atkin's for a play date.  I clipped the rose bush back and swept our front steps.  That evening we went on a Fall hike with Amy Pugsley and kids up Deuel Creek.  Ed unfortunately forgot and had to work late.  The leaves were pretty great and it was very nice weather.  

We had a late dinner and once kids were in bed, Dan caulked and painted baseboards.  

Tuesday I went to Jan Evans's class again.  After lunch and drop off, Meghan Johnson came over to help me talk through some home decor stuff.  Anna had a hard time going to ballet and McKenna started really digging her heals in about wanting to quit piano lessons.  Of course we just say, "sorry, too bad" in so many words and tough it out.  After dinner, Ben had his first night of Jr. Jazz instructional league.  He really liked it and it gave him a good workout! 

Wednesday I went walking with Rachael and where I noticed Alice and I were kind of matching.  McKenna and Ben had piano, Anna had music, and I nursed at Hogan park while Ben and Bethany played.  I noticed Ben's top teeth were finally growing in after 11 months!  We found out that night that our basement had water in it! :(  We had water coming in behind the walls up through the foundation.  We're pretty sure the cause was because our gutters weren't functioning/draining properly, so water was pouring down and into a crack just behind the house.

After baths Ben was playing with Alice and he put her in the bin with all of McKenna's stuffed animals.  Not sure she liked it very much.  

 After big kids were in bed, I hung out with Alice in her room while Dan and his counselors were setting up fans in the basement to dry things out.  Dan called this their "working Bishopric meeting". I decided before I cut Alice's mullet, I would try out some pig tails!  She looked adorable and a little like the character "Pinkalicious."  

Alice also turned 7 months old!  

 Thursday Rachael was nice enough to watch the three little girls while I went running. I only attempted 1 mile and boy am I out of shape.  

I took these pictures of Alice when I got back.  I love comparison pictures! 

Alice also got her first tooth!! I prepped the basement since the Bramalls would be coming over to help move some furniture so we could dry out the wet rooms.  We had more heavy rain that evening and Ben's baseball game was cancelled.  McKenna had Activity Days.  All the kids slept in the upstairs bedroom, and I sorted through the papers from the desk that were still sitting on our fireplace.  

Friday my brother came over.  I went walking with Rachael.  Dan cleaned out the gutters.  And because Jonathan was here, Dan took me out for a lunch date at Sweeto Burrito.  We babysat Hazel. Ben went to a BD party at Kangaroo Zoo.  After dinner we got Halloween decorations out! Unfortunately, that night as we were cleaning up the Patio room, we found out the back corner of the room was soaked and had mold!  

Saturday was General Conference Day!  A new 2 hour church schedule was announced, along with the "Home centered, Church supported" curriculum.  I went through kids' school papers while listening.   

McKenna and I were able the General Women's session in the conference center while Dan was at Grandma and Grandpa's with the other kids for a pizza/movie party.  Grandfather gave 4 challenges to the sisters.  1.) Read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, 2.) Social Media fast, 3.) Make time for the temple, 3.) fully participate in Relief Society.  

Sunday Dan and McKenna went to the Conference Center for the Sunday morning session.  At the end of the PM session, 12 new temples were announced!  Then we hopped in the car to head down town to the Church Office Building for the Nelson Family Conference Recap.  A new tradition was born for dinner-- Conference Quesadillas (yummy Six Sisters recipe in the crock pot)!  The kids did well sitting for so long in general throughout the weekend.  McKenna did say she felt "overloaded."  I can totally relate.  Sometimes General Conference can be a LOT to take in and ponder!  I came into this weekend wondering what I can do to be a better wife and mother.  I feel like my answer was to get back to the temple regularly, spend less time on my phone, and be more present with my kids.  

Sept. '18- Week 4- Flooring Done!, Alice Laughing Videos, Primary Program, Insta Poll About Alice's Mullet

Saturday was a busy day...Dan took a load of our wall and kitchen floor demo to the dump.  I took the girls to Kyra Koehler's baby shower.  Anna had a play date at Lizzie's.  Ben had baseball practice.  Later, McKenna went to Brinley's BD party at the rec center.  The boys got hair cuts and we went to In N Out for dinner and a treat at Dairy Queen.  

Sunday the youth sang Hope of Israel in Sacrament meeting.  I practiced and sang again with the Primary.  Dan taught all the youth the 3rd hour about "wellness."  That evening we had Webster family dinner and celebrated September BDs.

Monday Desi and Will Alexander came over to play.  After lunch Bethany fell asleep in the basement while playing.  We ate pasta salad at Ben's baseball game that evening. He had a great hit but got out. 

Tuesday Ben had a field trip to Cross E Ranch and had a blast! I went to Jan Evans's scripture class and drove kindergarten carpool.  We hung out in the basement a lot again and the drywall guy came to do another coat.  I helped again with Anna's class in computers.  After Anna had ballet and kids did homework, we had a soup dinner at Dan's mom and dad's house because we thought our kitchen would have been unusable due to more floor demo.  Turns out the floor guys came that morning and assessed that they needed more tools and another guy to help, so they wouldn't officially start work until the next day.  Arg! *By this point in our home improvement project, I was feeling like I was in a "funk" with our house in shambles.  I knew it was only temporary, but it was still hard.

Wednesday the drywall guy finished his job so all we needed to do was paint.  We had McDonald's breakfast and the flooring guys came to finish demo and start installation!  Because our kitchen was out of commission, I went and got Kneaders for lunch and ate it at Lewis Park while the kids played.  Shelly Jaynes, Erica Day, and Brynn joined us.  After kids got home from school, I babysat Jack Jaynes for a bit.  Anna had music that afternoon so we spent some time at Hogan park while we waited for her to be done.  

Floor progress shots.  

Dan met us at Ben's baseball game with tacos for dinner then he had church meetings that night.

Thursday I had a bad head ache!  The flooring guys came.  I packed a lunch and ate in the car while I drove carpool, then we had parent teacher conferences.  All the kids had AWESOME reports from their teachers! I'm so thankful for my amazing kids!  That evening we ate at Grandma and Grandpa's again because we still had no kitchen.   After eating, we went to walk through Swa and Jake's NEW HOUSE!  The flooring guys made so much progress that day, that we could take down the plastic and get ready to clean all the construction dust. 

Friday I went walking with Rachael.  Alice fell asleep in the stroller.  The flooring guys came to finish the job! 

I babysat Hazel during lunch.  After lunch the kids and Dan came home and the flooring guy FINISHED!  We asked Bethany to wash her face off after having Nutella and it ended up just looking like dirt smudges leftover on her face. :)  We hired Tuulikki (from the ward) to come clean and Dan and I worked along side her to help things move along quicker.  We were finally getting our house back together! 

Ben trying to get Alice to laugh. 

 McKenna and Ben went to the Lewis's to play. We had Zupa's for dinner.  After kids were in bed, we did paint prep by taping off.  

Saturday Dan worked on painting then we went to Ligi Ah Yen's baptism and lunch.  Following which Ben had baseball practice.  I went grocery shopping while Dan and McKenna helped Sarah Jane and Jake move into their NEW HOUSE!  Jonathan came over while Dan and I continued to clean and paint.  Mickelle came over later in the evening, we had pizza dinner and did baths.  

LOVING these "after" pictures!  

Sunday was our Primary Program!  I was so proud of all our kids, but especially ANNA!  She said her part and didn't even cry!  Ben of course loved bouncing in the chairs on the stand.  McKenna and Ben both said their parts well and they all sang beautifully! 

Ben took another cute video trying to get Alice to laugh. 

That evening was our ward "Walk About."  We stopped by the Alexander's and the Rowe's, then to mom and dad's house to nurse Alice and say hi.  

I took a poll on Instagram to see who would agree with me that Alice's mullet needed a trim?  The majority did agree with me. :)