Kid Update

We have all enjoyed living near family.  We basically have not made any effort to make other friends because we know this is temporary housing and we have such a plentiful supply of family so what is the point?!  We have been doing Sunday dinner on rotation with Jared's parents and sisters which is fun while we are living close.  We have also joined in their babysitting date night swap.

Here are some pictures of us hosting Pi (3.14) day for the Sunday Dinners.  I made the main dish pies and the girls and Jared made the dessert pies. Yum!  This upcoming weekend we will be hosting a Cinco de Mayo feast.

Pi Day Dinner

 Another bonus of living at Grandma's and Grandpa's house is the cool retro toys my kids have been using while ours are in storage.  These Omagles are AWESOME and have provided hours and hours of play for my kids.  One weekend Jared helps them build a stage for performances and puppet shows, the next they build a go-kart.  The next weekend they've set up hospital beds, wheelchairs and crutches for a hospital.  You can see where Jared and his brothers acquired their building skills!

Jocelyn had the opportunity to go on a field trip with her 3rd grade class to the Museum of Natural Curiosity.  I, unfortunately, was stuck in bed with Strep throat, but she was able to join her cousin's group and it sounded like they had a blast.  Jocelyn is still quite the fashionista and comes up with cute outfits and creative clothing that put me to shame.  This week she and Lillian began a gymnastics class and spring soccer.  Both of them are only 6 weeks long and pretty low key but I think it will be fun for them to get more involved since we have been taking a break from piano and other activities due to the move.  Luckily, her anxiety hasn't surfaced since the move, but her attitude and sass can definitely surface and impact all of us more than I appreciate.  Let's just say that while she can sure be a leader and force for good, she is not naturally a morning person.

Cutie girl before school one day

Jocelyn at gymnastics class

Jocelyn and Ella on their field trip

Jocelyn with cousin Stella

 Lillian is so excited to have been chosen as "Student of the Week" for next week in her school class.  We need to put together a poster, treats and show and tell items.  She also found her calling in life as we attended Stella and Luca's reptile birthday party and Lillian would not take her hands off the tortoise.  She has also been growing her plant that she made in school.  She has named him Bob and he has only needed a haircut 3 times!!  Between soccer and gymnastics she will keep busy through the end of school!

Lillian with her pet plant

Cousin fun during date night swap

Lillian with the beloved tortoise

Mt. Timpanogos Temple

Lillian at Gymnastics class

 Of course during the week I had strep throat Jonas also had a field trip to the local aquarium.  It sounded like he had a blast with his class. Thank goodness we had my MIL and SILs to help take care of my kiddos that week!  They were amazing.  Also for a school project Jonas has been putting together a farm poster for their unit this month.  Jonas is super excited to begin soccer this week.  He will be on a team with all of his boy cousins that are also in his preschool class.  We are all hoping they understand it is a soccer game, not a wrestling match, as that is often the result of them attending preschool together.  

Jonas at his preschool fieldtrip

Jonas with his Farm poster for preschool

Jonas playing legos with the boy cousins

 Jonas has taken up "improving the truth" (lying) to me and we are working on that.  He strategically told me how all the cousins except him were put on timeout at preschool.  I figured the likelihood of that was slim to none so we talked about how it was more important that he told me the truth than getting in trouble at school.  He eventually told me the truth for which I thanked him, and I am just trying to figure out the most effective way of calling him out on the lying all while encouraging when he tells me the truth...

Jonas and his boy cousins hanging out

Emma is at a fun stage.  She can talk very clearly but sometimes confuses terms and doesn't grasp reality.  For instance, she will tell me "I am very hungry about cereal" or "I am very hungry about candy."  She knows full well that if she just told me she was hungry I would offer her something sensible like carrots, oranges or yogurt.  She tries to specify so she doesn't get stuck with a healthy snack but it cracks me up every time.

Emma "hungry about" chocolate

  She still really misses her girlfriends from Morgan Hill and thought she was really onto something a few weeks ago when she told me repeatedly day after day "Mom!! I have a great idea! What if we just got some pixie dust? Then we could fly to visit Janie and Naomi!"  I told her I wished it was that simple.  But I did not want to break her little heart or stunt the creativity.  This little sassafrass is also doing awesome at taking on the silverware chore.  It works out best when she and Jonas work on it together, but she is also willing to take it on single-handed! 

Emma doing her silverware chore

Playing in the sand box at grandma's house

 

Emma hanging out with cousins Beckett and Finnley

 I forget if I already wrote about this story but recently we went out to dinner and on the table was a napkin with a knife and fork wrapped inside.  As we were helping the older kids get settled in and calmed down, Emma got to unwrapping the little silverware packet and was absolutely thrilled to see the contents.  In an ecstatic, giddy voice, she stood up holding the knife above her head and proclaimed "I got a knife, I totally got a knife!" We couldn't do anything but crack up!

Emma has also really loved having more Jonas time since he only goes to preschool a few hours every week instead of all day.  They get along so well playing house, building trains or boats out of laundry baskets and blankets, or just hanging out.  She started claiming she was going to marry Jonas.  Of course, the older girls put a stop to that really quick and turned her on to the idea of marrying Jonas's good friend Robbie from CA.