Patio Updates

We have been needing new pillows for the patio at St. George.  On Friday before we left, Joey took Har and Nash to At Home.  They bought some new pillows and I love how it turned out.  It looks beautiful and I feel such peace as I relax out there.  I am so grateful for our SG home.  It is truly my favorite place.

Mother's Day

This year my only Mother's Day wish was to spend the day in my favorite place.  Joey made that dream come true as we left Friday night.  I will post pictures from our trip after this post but let me first talk about my perfect day.  I woke up and was told to stay in my room for a bit.  At one point Tag came up to tell me that there was a fire but they had it under control!  I was slightly nervous but tried to relax until I was allowed to come out.  Joey had made bagel breakfast sandwiches.  They were so good!  We ate outside on the new picnic bench (we love the one in Lehi so much that we needed one for St. George also).  After breakfast I read through all of the beautiful cards from the kids.  They also gave me some money and treats.  What a beautiful morning!  I spent my day relaxing by the pool and had a wonderful nap.  For dinner Joey made pasta and rolls with cheesecake for dessert.  He was so thoughtful and truly made me feel special. I am so blessed to be a mom to five beautiful kids.  They make me such a better person.  I learn so much from them and I feel so blessed to be close to them.  Being a mom and a wife are truly my favorite callings.  I cannot wait to spend the week with all of them in my favorite place.

Best Purchase

A couple days ago Joey told me about a nice picnic table they were selling at Costco.  We chatted and decided it would be a great addition to the backyard.  Yesterday Joey went and bought the table.  Harlee and Nash helped him put the table together.  We decided to BBQ for Sunday dinner and to test out the new table.  It was so fun to sit out on our shaded patio and enjoy a meal together.  I love this!  I have a feeling that we will be enjoying many meals at this table this summer.  Love me so family time!  I'm definitely pleased with this purchase.

24 Hours

Harlee, Nash, Gray, and Tag made a plan this morning to spend 24 hours in the backyard.  They set up a tent, got games and snack ready, and out they went.  They created an hourly schedule of what they would do to entertain themselves over the next 24 hours.  At noon on Friday they started their adventure.  They were only allowed to come in to use the bathroom and to get food.  They had so much fun together and even survived a rain storm.  I was so nervous about them being out there so I did not sleep very well that night.  That said, they had a great time.  I love these memories that they are creating together.  So much fun for them.

Quarantine Entertainment

I have to say that one of my favorite things to come out of this quarantine is that the kids are spending so much time together.  They are coming up with very creative ways to have fun.  Tonight Nash and Harlee choreographed dances for each other.  Harlee made up a dance to "Better Days" by Old Republic and taught it to Nash to perform.  Nash made up a dance for Har to perform to "Ophelia" by the Lumineers.  Once they were in costume I got to go outside and watch the show.  It was so fun!  They both were cracking up the whole time.  I love the time they are spending together and the memories that they are creating.  Takes me back to when I was their age and I would make up dances with my sisters.  So much fun!

Best Day

Ask any of my kids who my favorite singer is and they will all say Lori McKenna.  I have loved her music since Joey and I were first married.  We would often go to dinner and then to Borders to listen to music.  We bought her cd at Borders at the Gateway.  I fell in love with her music from the moment I heard her voice.  I later learned that she is a mom of five, four boys and one girl.  One of her sons has autism.  I joke that we are soul sisters.  A few weeks ago Joey bought us tickets to her online Shut In concert.  At the end of her concert she sang a song that I could not get out of my head.  Today she posted about a new song on Facebook and it was the song.  I made a comment on her post of how I had been searching for this song since her Shut In concert.  Later that afternoon I got a notification on FB that Lori McKenna liked my post.  I may or may not have run downstairs to tell Joey with tears in my eyes!  Now I just need to meet her and become best friends!  Such a fun moment to break up the quarantine monotony.

Insta Famous

I am not on Instagram but Jenna texted me this morning about a post she saw.  She sent me a text with pictures Harlee.  Her orthodontist has posted her before and after photos to show her beautiful smile transformation.  It was so fun to see the before and after pictures.  Harlee is beautiful and her smile is amazing.  So fun for her to have a moment on social media.

Sprinkler Weather

Joey got the sprinklers going today which is such a blessing for our dying grass!  The boys begged to run through the sprinklers.  I could not believe they wanted to run in the sprinklers since it was only 63 degrees outside.  They are crazy but they had so much fun.  This reminded me of when I was a freshman at BYU.  It was 60 degrees after an awful winter.  Some of my friends from the dorm went to the roof and laid out.  The sun comes out in Utah and it feels like summer!

Har the Hairstylist

Due to this crazy quarantine all of the hair cutting places are closed down.  The boys hair has gotten pretty bad.  While I was working today Harlee came and asked me if she could try cutting the boys hair?  She had watched a few Youtube tutorials and was ready.  She did a great job!  The boys all look a lot less quaratined.  If only Luke would let her do his hair!  I am so proud of Harlee.  She is such a doer.  If she makes her mind up to do something, she will not stop until she figures out how to do it.  Such an amazing quality to have.  Way to go Har!

Trying new things...

Over the last two days Tag has been such a good sport about trying new things.  Yesterday he ate and swallowed a chocolate chip.  As you can tell from his expression he did not love the experience but he did it!  Today he decided to try a plain M & M.  This did not turn out as well!  He ended up throwing up after swallowing the candy.  I so wish that I had such an aversion to chocolate!  So proud of this boy for trying new things.

School Parade

This has been such a weird time with everything closed down due to COVID.  School has been out for about 5 weeks.  The kids, the elementary school kids, miss their friends and their teachers a lot.  Today the teachers did a parade through all of the neighborhoods.  It was so neat.  They had the parade start with the main secretary Heather and the two Traverse Mountain Tigers.  She was followed by Lehi fire dept and the police department.  After that was all of the teachers.  It was so fun to see all of them.  We sat in chairs close enough to chat with them.  The kids made signs.  Tag's sign said "Help the Scoolls" with a little coronavirus in a no circle.  So cute!  This was such a special experience.  The lack of social interaction has heightened my emotions and I may have teared up watching the kids interact with their teachers.  Maybe I just miss their teachers teaching them now that they have a grumpy mom of five as their teacher?