We are on babysitting duty for Tristen’s three…and Micah had the bright idea of taking them to Knott’s Berry Farm with Dash and Pippi. Obviously, I was all in. All of our kids loved action when they were young, and they easily skipped naps for action. We weren’t sure how the babies would do, but I am pleased to report…they were a dream!
They were full of adventure.
They were curious the whole time, and went on everything they could go on.
And the big award goes to Pippi and Dash, who were the ultimate big brother and sister to the babies. Even the time Dash had to push all of them along on the handcarts.
Our only hiccup, was when they took Blush on the kid drop. She looked really excited…until the drop.
Then, she was ANYTHING but excited!
On a whim a few weeks ago, I signed Navy and I up for the Chalk Walk. Navy, the little artist, was pumped…so I was too! On our way over to the church, we finalized what we were going to do. thank goodness they provided chalk, and a few friends there had the other tools we needed, such as a chalk line maker.
We started late, and only had until the next morning to get it all finished. We definitely had our work cut out for us!
We decided on a “Christmas Quilt”.
We figured providing different colored little squares with all sorts of Christmas trees in each one would allow anyone to contribute.
Navy and I worked until about 2am. We had the best time creating, but were exhausted and went home to sleep a bit.
At 5am, we returned with Dash and Scout to complete the last squares and watch the most insane sunrise I have ever seen!
Our finished product was a labor of love!
We can’t wait for everyone to come and see it over the next two evenings.
And the signature line was the best part.
Because Navy was the backbone of this Christmas quilt — especially when she went to school on three hours of sleep and all chalked up, when I went home to shower!
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The funny part of the whole chalk walk, was that we were next to the grand prize winner, and across from the 1st place winner. No, we didn’t get a prize…but check out what we were up against:
All with chalk!
Can you believe that?
We were trying to see what was heavier…Scout’s backpack or Pippi.
The backpack took her down.
Year after year the Santa Blanket comes out. Year after year it is a huge hit. Year after year, I am glad Santa lent us a piece of his coat. His real coat!
If Dash isn’t in a headstand, he is swinging from a tree. And if he isn’t swinging from a tree, he is trying to tackle Scout. And if he isn’t tackling Scout, he is scootering around our cul-de-sac. And if he isn’t…you get the idea!
There is nobody I have ever been around, who has more energy! It seeps from his soul!
The ONLY time he stops, is when he is sleeping…or cuddling his one true love.
Tonight was one of my favorite things I have ever done for Christmas since I have had kids. The Packers invited us to their house, and when we got there, all of the kids got into costume — including ours! The girls were angels and the boys were shepherds or wise men.
The kids all got into place..
And the birth of Christ was narrated from the scriptures. It was so simple and perfect. I told the Packers I’d like them to do this every year, and that I would like an invite each time! Afterwards, everyone brought treats and they had hot chocolate for a fun evening of hanging out. What a great idea Packers!!!
Micah is out of town. When he leaves town, I handle business. I rarely, if ever complain or dread him leaving.
So after a rough day, when I sent him a picture of me reading previous entries in my Love Journal, I knew he could tell it had been a rough one.
Moments later, I got a little Venmo ding on my phone. I wasn’t sure what it was all about, but when I opened it to see that Micah had written me a “cheer up” note alongside $100 to take Britni to lunch, I had an about face. The note would have sufficed, but the cash made everything going on at home just that much better!
We visited a family tonight who had a pet bird. This bird was a pet in every sense of the word. It was awesome. It flew freely, walked around freely, landed where he wanted freely. And it just so happened to really like Dash…and spent some quality time on his shoulder.
Today was the day Scout took it too far. I got reports of him being disrespectful to a few of the teachers in primary, and because I have zero tolerance for kids being rude to adults, he is correcting his wrongs. After writing three apology notes, I drove him around to hand deliver those notes.
His first note was greeted with kindness and a freshly baked cookie.
His second note was delivered to the daughter, because the mom wasn’t there.
And the third note was read into the video camera, and delivered via text.
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How were the notes you ask?
Very good with the help of my template.
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This kid got off so easy! But I will admit, I think he knew he messed up, because my little know-it-all didn’t put up any sort of fight about writing the apology notes. I told him we all screw up sometimes…but making it right is the important part!
Then I told him about the time (I vividly remember) when I was disrespectful to my primary teacher — telling her she had yellow teeth, and her hair was messy — and how I too wrote a note and hand delivered it.
The only difference between our two stories, is that I was about six!
You’ve got to respect a girl, who wakes up and decides she wants flapjacks, goes and makes them, shares them with everyone, and then cleans up her mess!
Navy…you are well respected!
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