9•1•2017 - 9•17•2017

The weeks in which we started to get into a routine...finally.

James had baseball skills class on Friday (as he will for the next 10 Fridays). We decided to take a break from little league since it is such a huge time consumer and signed him up for a weekly one-on-one baseball skills class. He really loves it and it's already started to help with technique.

Amelia started her first dance class! She loves it so much and it's the first time outside of church that I've been child-free for any amount of time. I almost don't know what to do with myself and end up just watching the live feed of her dancing before picking her up.

We got to visit James' class and school for back to school night. I'm really excited about his teacher this year. She is focusing on spelling and cursive-things a lot of teachers don't bother with because it's something they have to pay for out of pocket. So I am very grateful for her dedication and James is doing really well in her class so far.

I also got the opportunity to take dinner to some friends of ours who  just had a sweet baby girl with the most hair I've ever seen on a newborn. They live in the apartment complex that we just moved from and I've missed seeing them all the time. Even though I'm so happy that we moved, every time I go back to the apartment it still feels like home. I know with time that will fade. I can't wait for that.

On Saturday the 9th we attended the Stake Street Fair. It's a great community event where neighbors are invited and even the Mayor of San Jose showed up to show his appreciation for our ward's contribution to the flood cleanup earlier this year. The kids had lots of cotton candy, played games and enjoyed handcart rides provided by the youth. I love our ward/stake so much.

James had to give a talk in primary on Sunday. It's the first time he's written it all by himself. I don't think he was a huge fan of the process of researching a topic and then writing about it. Such is life.  But he did a great job on the delivery. He's a natural.

We had a playdate on Monday afternoon, and the missionaries came for dinner on Tuesday. Elder Creamer is from Spanish Fork. It's crazy how many connections we've made with people from Utah this year.

My visiting teachers came on Thursday and then we had pack meeting that evening. When I first got called as a den leader someone in my ward sent me this video:

I can't say that I don't relate.

We made pool noodle horses and the kids raced them. James got 6 awards since he missed the previous two pack meetings due to baseball and vacation.

On Saturday the 16th we got to go to a San Francisco Giants game for the Layton summer party (Paul's work). It was great to check off a bucket list item. The stadium is huge and right on the bay so you can see ships in the distance. It was a beautiful night and even though the Giants lost, the kids had a pretty great time stuffing their faces full of junk and taking a million selfies.

Conversation Highlights:

Me: goodnight, sweetheart
Amelia: just call me Miss Cuddle Cakes from now on.

James sent the following question to family members: would you rather spend the night in a haunted hourse or be locked in a dark room full of tarantulas for one minute? Responses varied. Grandpa Willardson said he'd stay in a huanted house full of tarantulas.

Paul scared Amelia really bad. She was so mad. So I told her to make him pay. She said that was a good idea, ran to her piggy bank and pulled out some coins, then threw the money at him.

James had to write about something that made him sad so he wrote that the saddest time in his life is when Pee-pa almost died from cancer. Amelia chimed in "Pee-Pa didn't die! What's wrong with you?!"

August

August was a crazy month full of swim lessons, getting settled into the new house, doctors appointments, back to school shopping and starting at a new school. I guess the bottom line is that we survived. I might have had a nervous breakdown in there somewhere.

James had to have a dentist appointment thanks to a piece of taffy he had at the Spanish Fork parade. The dentist decided that he no longer needed the spacer in there anyway, so that was good.
He also had to have his annual check-up and eye exam, which resulted in more eye patching and new glasses.
$$$$$

back to school shopping completed!

We celebrated the end of summer by going to Happy Hollow Park and Zoo. That was actually pretty fun. We ended up getting year passes.

We had our back to school feast. This year's theme is "Do Your Best." We figured it was fitting since Paul is cubmaster and I'm a den leader and James is a wolf.  We talked about what it means to do our best and how we don't always have to succeed so long as we put in all our effort.

The kids picked the menu: BBQ ribs, corn, watermelon and chocolate cupcakes.

I made their crowns (which they now come to expect. Love these little traditions!). We read Pig the Winner. It's a story of hilarity and understanding the importance of doing our best, and not confusing that with winning.

And then the big day arrived. Back to school! James is in 3rd grade and still has dreams of being a scientist and Amelia is going preschool at home with me and wants to be big and do everything herself (insert eyeroll here).

James was excited that one of his best church friends was in his class. Sadly he was moved to another class two weeks into school, but I think it helped James adjust to a new school having him there for the first couple weeks.

We enjoyed the eclipse with a viewing box that Amelia painted for preschool.

Other things she's been doing for preschool:

making graham crackers

making banana bread

harvesting tomatoes

balancing bean bags on her head

abcmouse.com

eating her lunch on the window seat

We got the piano tuned for the first time in about 15 years! It sounds amazing and I've really enjoyed pounding out some Beethoven for stress relief. I've needed it.

We had a cub scout pool party, fed the missionaries and helped clean up the church building in August. Kind of glad that August is over. I spent most of the month feeling very stressed out and overwhelmed.

Conversation Highlights:

Dad: how was your day?
James: Reanna went to jail.
Dad: WHAT?!
James: yeah, she told me in one of her video games she went to jail. I think we were at the mall when she told me that.

James came across "wine bibber" in his scripture study and pronounced it "wine bibbler." Then challenged himself to use this phrase in every day life.

James: remember what Pee-Pa told you on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride?
Mom: that is was real and they were going to shoot me?
James: that brings me sweet tears of joy

July- Part Two

Utah was a lot of fun. We were able to help out my sister-in-law with her new baby, play with Oatmeal (Reid's obnoxious little dog), visit my parents' new pad in Fountain Green, visit an ancestor's grave, Lamb Days, and do a lot of fun things like laser tag, sleepovers at Aunt Rosi's, visit with a few friends, lunches with Pee-pa, Pioneer Day parade, family BBQ, Temple Square, BYU, splash pads with cousins, the mall, etc., etc., and so forth.

Amelia LOVED baby Kane. She would wake up and ask Luiza what she could do for her. Such a good helper.

Amelia and cousin Mason got to play a lot while we were there. Such cute kids!

Lamb days was extremely hot. Poor Amelia was overheated. We put a wet washcloth on her head to try and cool her down.

We had dinner at Roy's Pizza in Ephraim. Good pizza. Cool family.

We visited the pioneer cemetery and left flowers for the kids' 4th Great Grandfather Christian Willardsen.

The fountain part of Fountain Green

Amelia was missing her Daddy and this Beast reminded her of him. So we bought it.

We went to a splash pad and found that it was closed. The kids were devastated by this, so I drove all the way across town to another splash pad, a whole 5 minutes before a thunderstorm hit! Good thing I could take them to Blickentstaff's for a treat after that!

We finally got to visit the Spriggs! We are sad Paul wasn't there, but we sure do love these people! 

Stay at Uncle Reid's comes at cost! Pulling weeds!

We went to the Church History Museum in Salt Lake. 

We had a girl's night at Rosi's and sent this cute boy off to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for a night. He had fun eating at McDonald's for every meal, hiking in flip flops, and visiting the Manti temple.

And then, after seeing like 3 movies in the theater, we ran out of things to do so we went to Costco where the kids ate samples and enjoyed piggy back rides from Aunt Rosi and Uncle Roy.

We had fun at the Spanish Fork Pioneer Day Parade.

After the parade we all went to Uncle Ryan's house for lunch. The cousins played really well. Fighting was minimal.

Sometimes it's hard to say goodbye.

One of Uncle Reid's future neighbor's was getting a basement poured. Amelia brought a snack to watch the show.

REID

We visited BYU twice. The kids loved all the Cosmo photo ops and creamery ice cream.

play date with Mason

We had a goodbye dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Roy was Amelia's jungle gym.

It was a crazy 2 and half weeks in Utah and then we headed back to San Jose to get situated in the house before school started.

I took the kids to IKEA so we could actually finish organizing the house. Since we were already in Palo Alto, I decided to take the kids the to a splash pad, followed by the Magical Bridge playground. They had a blast. Best park ever.

And that was our July!