June

 

The next few posts are going to be all “this is what we did…” but, in the end, this is a journal, so bear with me.

1.  Look close at this awesome picture (is it even possible to take good pictures of children’s school performances??):

That’s Emma in the navy blue at her violin concert.  We had a violin in the basement (I played for 10 years) and the school lessons were free.  The cost was about equal to the effort Emma put into it, but she is signed up for violin at the middle school next year, so maybe the passion will surface one of these days.

 

2.  Ryan’s company paid for us to go to the local amusement park this year

They even gave everyone wristbands for free soda at every refreshment stand in the park.  Our kids were in carbonation heaven.  We also became well associated with every restroom Silverwood has to offer, due to the excessive bladder fillage that was happening.

This is what the four oldest kids did the whole day:

This is what Faith did the whole day:

It was pretty bad, but after an exhausted, cried out nap and a trip to the water park area, she got a teensy bit better.

Seth, true to his “Funnest Kid Ever” status, looked like this before he went on his first major roller coaster:

And looked like this after his first major roller coaster:

I sat next to him and listened to him laugh the whole time.  See?  Funnest Kid Ever.

3.  Here’s Gabe in his Dale Chihuly costume.  We put off a much needed haircut for a month so that we could roll his hair in sponge rollers to mimic the curly hair of Washington’s most famous glass artist.

4.  And how cute is this?

For Jane’s birthday, Jane asked for a new outfit for her “Jane” doll that she got for Christmas.  Ryan’s mom, having noticed Doll Jane’s loved on appearance during her last visit, requested Doll Jane for a complete makeover.  Real Jane even noticed new blush on Doll Jane’s cheeks.  Grandma also sent a matching pajama outfit for Real Jane and they look pretty cute going to bed together.

  

5.  Jane had her “author party”, where the first grade teacher gives you a book full of all of Jane’s notable assignments and then plays a slide show, to the song “Let Them Be Little” which makes you start to bawl by slide #3.  Don’t look to Jane’s journal entries for any real family history, though, because apparently she played soccer that I never signed her up for, went on a few trips that I wasn’t present at, and viewed some movies that I never drove her to.  Maybe she should label it a work of fiction, just to avoid any embarrassing Oprah moments in the future.

6.  Here’s the Romney’s first garage sale attempt (at our town’s famous community wide yard sale event). 

I sold everything good the day before via Craig’s list and Gabe was selling his VERY used Battleship game for $10, so we didn’t get a lot of stranger traffic.  Despite Seth’s awesome sandwich board sign:

Luckily there are 26 kids on the court so they all went around purchasing each other’s yard sale crap and bringing it home.

7.  We had a fun visit from Grandpa Sherrill and Grandma Genie, during which we did the usual:

Trip to Manito park:

    

Trip to Tubbs Hill:

Huge Sunday eating:

We did get crazy and take a trip to our county park:

and make some backyard S’mores:

8.  We had a fun end of the year party on our court, complete with a garage full of hot dogs and kids

and these cute, cute summer-themed cupcakes:

 

8.  Here’s Faith at my friend Jessica’s house, while I participated in a birthday brunch.  I’d left her there the day before while I helped out at school and Faith wasn’t about to be tricked into staying a second time—she stood by this door, with her hand on the knob for at least 15 minutes.  That girl is tenacity embodied.

 

9.  Some other random pictures (because this post isn’t long enough):

How Faith spends much of her days.  Not kidding.  It’s exhausting. 

Which is why I’m including this picture, so that we both remember I smiled with her sometimes:

           

Gabe’s fishing pictures from Cub Scout Camp:

  

And an honorary picture of Cousin Swap.

 

Ryan’s oldest sister sent her two cute, cute girls up and they partied for a week with my girls and the Daines cousin.  They tubed, swam, got primped at the local beauty school, slept little, roasted marshmallows and did a mall scavenger hunt.  Fun week to be a girl around here.

And I’m not even done…stay tuned for the Seattle Vacation Recap.  It’s pretty exciting around here.

Friday Favorites

(I never do this, but had a few things to share)

1.  This cookie recipe:

is one of my favorites of all time.  BEST texture ever.

(Thanks a lot Abbie.  Like I need more cookies in my life.)

2.  Bountiful Baskets (a food co-op.  You pick it up at a location near you every Saturday):

Go to www.bountifulbaskets.org and see if they have it in your state.  Tons of vegetables, for about half of the price, and I’ve been happy with the quality.  It is a ton to eat, but I love that it makes me learn how to serve kale and swiss chard and eggplant.  We’ve been eating so many more vegetables lately.

3.  This movie:

Ryan and I agreed: the best we’ve seen in a long time.  Uplifting, real, romantic, historical…you kind of can’t go wrong.

4.  These books:

 

So so so fun and addictive.  #3 and a movie coming out soon.

5.  This hairspray:

I started using it last year and bought a different less expensive one last time…and I’m really not happy.  I’m going back as soon as the garbage one I’m using is gone.

6.  Priesthood blessings (click on the link for more lds.org info) by this guy:

Let’s just say I’ve been having MULTIPLE parenting challenges (pre-teen daughter, sullenly disobedient son, tantruming toddler) and after numerous feelings that I should ask Ryan for a blessing, I finally listened.  It was amazing:  from God, specific, insightful, made me feel hopeful again.  A blessing, indeed.

7. This video (part of the Swagger Wagon series) that Ryan just sent me.  (If you know Ryan, you know why he’s feeling it):

8.  The spin pin (see Carie’s post for more details):

so easy to put in and it’s stayed put really well!

9..  This tube:

on this boat, driven by this person (aunt Heather):

in this weather!  (FINALLY!  it’s summer!)

Some of the Father’s Day Offerings

 

Seth’s:

Jane’s:

 

(anyone)

(a blue whale)

(Meghann)

(my aunt Heather)

(anyone)

(I would have him do my work)

 

 

 

Gabe’s:

 

(2 of my best friends)

(a moose)

(a lion)

(a clown)

(as all the numbers in the solar system)

(be the same)

The reasons I have cried 8 times in the last 24 hours

 

1.  Because I talked to Jane’s wonderful teacher (seen below hugging Jane) about her husband’s cancer return.

2.  Because I hugged my friend Stacey (of the Roll Post) good-bye for the last time.

3.  Because the weather stinks so bad.  (Okay, I actually didn’t cry about this, but I’d complained about it so much that when I called Ryan to tell him about Jane’s teacher and started crying, he thought it was because of the weather.)

4.  Because Faith threw another one of her 45 minute-wads-of-ripped-out-hair-throwing-up-on-herself tantrums (because I wouldn’t let her eat a friend’s daughter’s big old chocolate bar) and it is so stressful listening to your daughter scream and scream and scream.

5.  Because Faith’s tantrum made me miss Emma’s award assembly.  (I kept trying to go in but Faith would NOT stop screaming, so I walked around the school with a flipping-out one year old in my arms while they called Emma’s name).

6.  Because Emma was sweet and understanding about me missing it (AND because she’s such a good girl to win that citizenship award).

7.  Because the whole school lines up and slaps hands with the “graduating” Fifth Graders as they leave the school for the last time.

8.  Because it’s the last day of school.  And we all know those are happy tears and sad tears.

Further evidence that no one’s going to be asking me to teach a Home Economics Course anytime soon

((What?!   I can craft!) 

Conversation from today:

Emma:  “  So…who are we going to get to sew on my buttons?”

Me:  “I can do that!”

Emma:  “YOU CAN?!”

Me:  “Yes!”

Emma:  “Do you even have a needle?”

Me: “Um…”

 

Conversation from yesterday:

Seth: “Dad I need some tape.”

Me: “What do you need tape for?”

Seth: “To fix my doggie’s ear.”

Me: “Oh … tape won’t work for fabric.  We’ll have to sew it.”

Seth: “Sew it?!?  What is that?”

Rennid Sdrawkcab

Drawing on a time-honored tradition from Ryan’s childhood, we did the easiest Family Home Evening ever:

BACKWARDS DINNER!

Start with inviting your kids to backwards dinner by putting on all of your clothes backwards and asking them to do the same:

Then, feed them dessert first.  Tell them they CANNOT have broccoli unless they eat their ice cream and fudge, first!:

Next, feed them the rest of their courses backwards (Main course, Salad Course, Bread Course):

Encourage them to eat backwards as well, till you realize what a mess-making idea that is:

 

Refer to them by their backwards names.  Here is Htes:

Try your best to speak in backward phrases:  “?here cute Faith Isn’t”

This takes about 5 extra minutes out of your evening (to change into your clothes), besides the dinner you were already planning on having, and your kids will think you are the funnest parents around.

…Until you tell them that they since the dishes and table didn’t obey the rules of backwards night by going from Dirty to Clean during Backwards Dinner…they still have to clear the table and load the dishwasher.

!sometimes end to has fun The

Big News (that makes it excruciatingly obvious how mundane my life is…)

 

While I do the dishes, the smell of lilacs is wafting into my kitchen.  It’s about the easiest way to brighten my day, as I realize “I HAVE A LILAC BUSH IN MY OWN BACKYARD!”

Seth is riding a bike without training wheels.  It took about 3-4 sessions and quite a few falls, but he is now the proud rider of a 2-wheeler.  Now, if he could just start without me!

Faith MADE IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH SACRAMENT MEETING WITHOUT BEING TAKEN OUT! I realized what a monumental achievement this was when I had no less than 4 people comment on it:  “Wow!  You didn’t have to take out Faith today!”  I should have realized we were a huge disturbance, when I started regularly hearing comments like “Watching Faith and you is the best thing about sacrament meeting” or “We purposely try to sit behind you so when can see what Faith does this week.”  Yeah.  But those people will have to find some other bad toddler to watch now, won’t they?!

Really.  It’s kind of hard to contain our excitement around here, with all these major goings-on.

I probably shouldn’t enjoy this email as much as I do