Sunday

I love Sunday’s. I love 1:00 church. I love quiet and obedient kids and new carpets. And this cute, big 6-year-old that I took lots of pictures of today. She just looked so grown up. 

Addie’s class is a combo class of girls 9+, kind of like the old Merry Miss classes. Noreen is their teacher and she is the absolute best. They are crazy and loud and she loves them. Every bit as important as it is for them to be learning the gospel, is that they feel loved, and these lucky girls feel loved by their wonderful primary teacher. 

The girls have been playing with my old phone and it’s connected to my new phone so I get lots and lots of extra pictures. Here is one example that actually has a person in it. (most don’t) 

And final Delaney picture of the day - playing outside this morning. She is a leaf picking, self talking, goofy little ball of cuteness. She is also coming out of a stinky phase and has been SO obedient the last few days. I love it and am hoping it continues!

Frankie has wanted to play violin forever. Since she’s in 3rd grade she finally got her chance at school to join Strings. Matt loves it and has done everything for her, which I love! He found a violin online and they guy threw in an extra for only $20 more. (Why?) Matt cleaned and tuned it, and turned around and sold it on our neighborhood site, so we ended up paying only $25 for Frankie’s fairly nice violin. I mean, plus the tuning chords and all the other accouterments he just had to buy for her. 

Last night Bubba came over for dinner. Addie talked him into a game of Uno Attack and it was just so sweet. 

Matt worked hard on our laundry room shelves. We have so many jobs to do, but little by little we make progress. just keep working. 

I found another set of pictures from my birthday photo extravaganza. 😂

Chris helped the Davis’ rebuild their deck. 

And I enjoyed some Readers Digest courtesy of my dad. 

The weather is absolutely pleasant and life is sweet. Next up: Super Saturday!

All the stuff

Today was a basement paint day. Tuesday’s have become home project day with bubba and Pablo, and I can dig it. Today he even brought his friend that’s a girl Sarah too. Progress. 

Monday’s mean piano. This year we’ve got 3 little pianists, so that means an hour and a half at Johnna’s. So far it’s not been bad. We start at 4:30, so I’ve been on my A-game, and also channeling my inner Golden Girl, by have dinner ready by 3:30 so we eat before piano, do tutoring and homework there, and then fhe and treat when we get back at 6. So far, so good. 

40% off at Sherwin Willians means Rays buy all the paint. I brought the swatches home and showed bubba and he said “they’re all basically the same color.” Oh silly boys. (he’s right)

The Aina’s came over one day and I had lots of pics on my phone. I thought this one was funny. 

We got our new fridge! The old one leaked, fixed, leaked, fixed, leaked, done. It’s so nice to have water and ice that works! And it’s got 4 doors and we love it. (I think)

David’s brother lost his home in Hurricane Florence and since they were heading down to help, I sent out a call for donations and our neighbors rocked it, as per the norm. 

We also went to the fair last week, but more about time hay later. Also, maybe I should eat sometime. 😂

Actually sick

So it’s happened and I’ve accepted it, I’ve got the first cold of the school year. My sinus pressure is straight trippin and I am remembering that time Autumn told me I blow my nose more than any person she’s ever met, because that’s happening currently. Of course I had 3 appointments this morning and at that point I wasn’t accepting that I was fully sick yet. So that’s great. 

It’s Ministering Interview season and they are going really well. I’m so grateful for this time I’ve been able to serve as Relief Society President. The service has changed my life in amazing ways. Coming up on 3 years in November and it’s  been sooo hard but also sooo good. Just like so many of the best things in life, terrible and wonderful all rolled up into one. 

Nary a picture to be had today because I went to bed when I got home and didn’t do much else after that. 

But looking  back through pictures, cause that’s the way you blog when you’re 18+ months behind. 

We celebrated Maggie’s 15th birthday on Saturday. It had been so long since we’d been to Mc’s! One of the kids took this picture and then we laughed and laughed because, hello giantess! 🙄

D gave me her unicorn headband to wear and i pretty much rocked it. 

One of my favorite things is when kids picked out a gift and are super excited for it to be opened. Maggie is a good gift receiver, so our little gift givers were even more stoked. 

Working backwards on Saturday - little miss made her very first piano allowance purchase ever - the unicorn headband. She was so excited to start piano lessons, then day of scared, and now back to loving it. She practices all the time and is sooo cute! I wonder how long it will last!

And finally, when we came back from Tennessee, Laura, maggie, and Sarah had decorated the house with pictures everywhere. I thought we had collected them all, but found these under the sink and it made me smile. I’m a lucky girl with amazing friends!

And now I’ve got my Vick’s rubbed in, NyQuil and oj ingested, and essential oils applied. It’s 9:00, so time for lights out. I am 40 and sick after all. 

Doin’ it

 One small bite at a time, I’ll figure this blogging thing out again. It’s timely because Frankie has discovered our blog books (again) and is so obsessed with them that I had to ground her from them for a day. And if you ever come over and are so enthralled with looking into baby Frankie’s eyes from Rays Days of yore that you forget to get dressed for school, I’ll ground you from them too. 

Today we painted. We’re still painting anything that’s not moving. We’re on month 9 or our organizing home project and I’d say we’re close to halfway done. Tying up those last little bits are often the hardest parts, but then it also means we can start enjoying more parts of our home. 

These two cuties and I painted the whole basement ceiling a fresh, crisp white. Also, 3 more boob lights bit the dust. I think we have just 1 left until they are all gone from the White House on Pensive St. for good. 

I wasn’t sure how we’d get the tall ceiling over the stairs: but they made it happen. 🙌🏼

Little miss 1st grader 1st grading it up! I ❤️ class dojo. 

This girl is still working hard. I’m seeing so much growth this year! She hasn’t fought tutoring in the last 2 weeks and she’s just so sweet.

More first grade fun - recess version. We still 😍 her pink boots. 

Go figure Delaney is instructing their 5th grade helper. Delaney the talker. Always talking. 

And heading upstairs to the 5th grade science classroom of one Addie-cakes M. Ray. She seems to be liking school so far and we are pretty excited about that. 

What else? We had chicken pot pie for dinner. It was picture day at school. I don’t quite remember how to blog. And I’m either fighting a cold, or allergies are getting worse. This seems like a good enough first day back. 👋🏼 

Test

I’m ready to blog again! Will it actually work? Let’s try this awesome shot of Frankie outside the Target bathroom.