Grateful for Corey

Last night Corey let us know that he wanted to take us all out to eat for his birthday today. He likes to do that on his birthday. The kids were very excited. Abi wouldn't have been able to go to dinner cause she had to babysit in the evening, so we all went out to lunch. Corey wanted to take them to the Original Pancake House.

We told the kids they were being tested to see if we could take them out to eat at a normal restaurant (aka not a buffet, like the Chuck a Rama feast of 2019). Here, at a normal restaurant, we sit.... and quietly visit.... and patiently wait for our food. The little kids started blowing bubbles in their chocolate milk and were close to not passing their test. 

When they took our order, we weren't really keeping track of who said what and we didn't notice that Sophi ordered two things, and each thing was huge and came with a side of pancakes and eggs, so it was an obscene meal, similar to the Black Bear Diner birthday feast of 2012.

Like enough to feed us for the whole day. Good news is I probably got out of making dinner (not that I do a great job at it anyway lately). Today was Ethan's p-day so he got to call, and Mel got to call again too, cause they get to call us on our birthdays!

I did a little facebook post and shared some of the scrapbook pictures I took on Mother's Day when I was looking through scrapbooks. It was fun to look at all these pictures again. Some of my favorite pictures are of Corey sleeping with our babies. Here with little Lily - 

And during one of the first few meetings with Lily when he was trying to discern her name. "You can't just pick a name like you would for a dog! She already has a name... It has to be revealed!"

If dad's taking a bath, everyone wants to take a bath - He's loving it, can't you tell?

Letting Abi beat up on his face. 

Family pictures December 2006

Corey picked up Joseph from the kindergarten bus stop once in the Darth Vader costume (just one of many of my illogical purchases)

Sledding with Hyrum at Joseph on the small Wyview hill by our student housing apartment.

Taking Melodie on a date to a BYU dance, she was thrilled and was the prettiest girl in the room.

Reading with kids - 

Spring 2005 reading the Bear Snores On - Corey played the bear part very well and little Hyrum was slightly terrified of this book if you can't tell by his concerned expression (they were almost at the part where the bear was going to wake up!) Sometimes Hyrum would hurry and shut the book when they got to the page before that moment, it was really funny. One of our fond memories of little Hyrum.

Taking the kids bowling at the Wilkinson Center.

I'm amazed with how much Corey did then with the kids when he was getting his MBA. He's pretty incredible. Teaching Ethan to ride a bike - using Mel's bike.

Showing Joseph how it is done. Ethan on the trike. 

Corey and Hyrum helping with the dishes.

Taking the kids swimming sometime during a Park City stay. 

Teaching the kids how to make rainbow crepes.

Joseph's turn - mixing the blue batter - 

Inspiring in Ethan a love of music. 

Corey is pretty amazing and I sure love him. See last years birthday post for some fun Corey stories (or this 2012 hilarious one that I mentioned yesterday, so funny). Those capture a bit of his awesomeness in action. I know how incredibly lucky I am to get to share my life with him. I’m so grateful for him and am stoked to be with him for my whole life and for ever and ever after that.

Drivers Education

Yesterday the kids were downstairs watching the Taming of the Shrew with Corey, and while they did that, I was upstairs blogging. I finished a few entries for last week and with that, now I am ALL caught upon the blog. I don't think I've been completely caught up since Nov 2017. I'm going to do my best to write notes and upload the pictures from each day so that I don't get overwhelmingly behind anymore, EVER EVER AGAIN, ha. I probably shouldn't say that. This past week was great though. I read my scriptures, I exercised every day, I got out in nature, I read to the kids and helped them with school work, we worked and cleaned...  it was just a really a good week. I didn't practice the violin as much as I would have liked, so I'll figure out how to fit that next week and will try to keep doing all the other things. After I was done blogging, I joined Corey and the kids downstairs watching the Scarlet Pimpernel (1982 version with Anthony Andrews, which I first watched in 6th grade in Mr. Cooks class on Valentines day before our valentine's dance and I've loved it ever since) so we did that for a little French History lesson ...and cause Wes needed to watch it as part of his attempt to finish English assignments and pass that class. It was fun cause the kids were all really into it, so even though it was getting late, we stayed up and finished it and it was good family bonding. I knew I was going to regret it though cause I had a super early morning today. 

I got up at 5:45 to wake up Wes, but he didn't get up, so I tried again and 6:15 and he got ready and we left at 6:30 for his 7:00 appointment to get his driver's permit. We made this appointment two weeks ago, hoping it would give him time to take the test and pass it and then get to his 8:00 am driver's ed class on time. We had gathered the information he needed last week before he left for high adventure, so it was all ready and in a folder, ready to go. Last night I asked him where the folder was. It took him a few seconds but he found it. Ok, good, we're ready to go. We got up and left this morning, and then when we arrived at the DMV and were opening the car doors I said "You got the folder?" and then he clued in with a look of "uh oh" on his face and I was a bit dumbfounded. HE FORGOT THE FOLDER! He felt bad, but I was at a loss for words and how he could have possibly forgotten it. Like Wes... you knew where we were going, right? We're going to the DMV... and why we were going there... and you knew what you needed, and I reminded you last night... deep breath. SO, what do we do. It's a 25 minute drive back home, so now the whole point of doing this early is messed up. I told him to get in line and see if he could maybe take the test while I ran home to get the papers. I called Corey to ask him if he could meet me half way. I got like 3/4 of the way home before he was able to meet me, cause he was slower getting into the car, because Peter was awake and was tagging along, but it was helpful. We met at Waterford and I was able to turn right around and get back there by 7:30. So then we got in line, turned in his application and showed his birth certificate and stuff and he was taking the test by 7:40. This was the time we should have been done and headed to the car if he was going to arrive at his class on time, so that's not going to happen, but that's ok. He didn't pass the first written test. He took it again right away and we were both praying for him to pass, and he did. I gave him a small lecture on our way out - like forgetting stupid and simple stuff like this... that will get you an F in life! But if you remember the stupid and easy stuff, then you don't have to waste time scrambling back home and you can just get stuff done. Dad and I want you to succeed and will help you as best we can, like we did this morning, but let's just make things easier on all of us and let's remember things and show up prepared! 

After that I took him straight to Skyline. He got to class at 8:40. He missed the whole class last week though, so I'm assuming it's ok he was late cause he's catching up anyway. I had sent the teacher an email though as I sat at the DMV while he took his test. He replied that since there are two class sessions - from 8-10 and 10-12, Wesley could just come to the 10-12 class. He stayed after and worked during that class time, so he was able to catch up a little on the stuff from last week. And then he went on a drive from 12 - 1. He hadn't eaten breakfast this morning before we left, so he was tuckered out and hungry when I picked him up at 1:30. 

So it wasn't a great start to the day today with the DMV appointment, but tomorrow I should be able to get up and exercise before I take him to drivers ed. He has class through the 30th, so that is what my mornings this month will look like. 

Oh, and here's a funny picture from yesterday. After church Peter was ready for lunch, but I didn't want him to get his Sunday clothes dirty, so I stripped him down. (A funny story here where I stripped Lily down, Corey is hilarious!) And I pointed out to the kids how perfectly circle his belly button is. He was standing on the stool waiting for me to get him some more clothes, but he was standing like a perfect little David, so instead we posed him. Corey noticed what I was doing and gave P a usb cord as his sling...

I just realized that I posed him in the mirror image of David. 

Let's fix that...

There we go! haha, Peter is a masterpiece! Here are a few more masterpieces of nature from yeseterday after church. I'll limit my flower pic today to just one - look, it's so yellow!!

Ok, two... so pink!!

Ok, I mean three, I'll stop at three... but there could have been ten!)

So lovely. What else - our violin teacher is out of town today so we didn't have lessons, but did talk with our Mel and Hyrum. Ethan's p-day is tomorrow. 

We went on a bike ride tonight up at Snowbird. We went to explore a bit and see what Snowbird has (we're still newbies to mountain biking)

We parked and rode down and went around, most of it was too tricky for Sophi so we were pretty slow. Then before we had too far to backtrack, I stopped and biked back up to the car and was going to pick them up. But Corey texted that they were going to start heading down the canyon. Sophi was riding down with them but once I caught up to them with the car, Sophi came with me and Corey continued ahead with Abi and they rode all the way home from Snowbird. Impressive! I do think, though, Corey and children, that we need to learn how to had endurance to bike uphill too. We don't need to be able to go all 8+ miles up the canyon, but maybe a few... we shouldn't always be driving up and then coasting home, imho. I didn't get in my ride this morning so I was still itching for more so I biked up a little bit after taking Sophi home, I'll try to get a short ride in tomorrow morning. I'm liking biking more than walks or hiking at the moment, mostly cause it's faster to get back home after biking up. 

Abi at EFY

Corey went down to Provo to pick up Abi today as she finished up a fun week at EFY. Abi, what would you like to tell us about your EFY experience? "Well, what photos do you have?" Just all the ones that you texted us. Let's see...

Hmm, there are quite a few pictures of you guys sipping on smoothies. How many time did you go to Jamba Juice? "We went went everyday except for Monday and Today." 

What was your favorite Jamba Juice to Order. "I got the Strawberry and banana wild with raspberries and pineapple. It was really good." And there at Jamba juice is where her company started a funny little thing where they gave all the guys girl names and the girls guy names. Abi became Abraham, Salvador became Sally, Cason was Casey, Beckham was BECCAAA said with three A's like that, drawn out. You can see some of their names on their smoothies after another stop at Jamba Juice.

When Corey took her down on Monday, they went by the bookstore and Corey bought her this cute dress, cause it just looked so cute on her that "It had to be done"

She wrote that night that she was feeling a bit homesick, but I told her to just enjoy it, cause it will be over before she knows it, and you can't go back. Lunch photo - 

This is her "company"

Another stop at Jamba Juice.

In the auditorium ballroom where they had their big EFY meetings/morning sides.

Group picture in the dorm bathroom mirror!

This is Abi's favorite picture of her and her roommate Abby. She is from California.

Abi posing this morning when she knew Abby was taking her picture - this was at 7 am today.

Abi with her counselors: Courtney, Annie, and Landon. They ship Landon and Annie, they called them "Lannie"

This is Beckham/BECCAAA in the front here taking the group selfie. He's the only one that I know the name of, might not have spelled his real name correctly. 

Abi said she doesn't know their real names either, since they made up names for all of them and then she was just confused all week. I'll let you know if she's able to figure out their real names. Or Abi, maybe you can just put it in the comments. She has some new Instagram friends now, and they all miss each other terribly - 

It looks like such a good group of kids and such a fun experience. I'm really glad that she was able to go.

And we said to enjoy it, cause you can't go back, but I guess Abi kinda can... cause she'll be going to another EFY next month in Payson Canyon, so Abi is lucky - she can go back, but it won't be the same people or the same experience. That one will be a new and wonderful experience of it's own. So love the opportunities as they come, cause soon it's over and will just be a memory. 

We're glad she's home. She's slept a lot today. Corey took a nap too after getting up early to go pick her up. So our Saturday work routine was off, I'll have to fix that for next week. I ran some errands with kids - we went to kid to kid to get shorts for Lily. I took Sophi and Natalie to get shorts yesterday. Today Natalie and two of her friends had a "SALE" selling a few old Happy Meal Toys and some books that I had in a DI pile. It was cute. 

I took ALSNODP swimming around 5:15, to give Corey some quiet time to get work done. 

Peter didn't swim the first hour, liked the 6-7 hour, I got in a little bit with him. It wasn't as cold as last time, so that was good. But he was mad when they had the pool clear out at 7 and cried and cried until he fell asleep in my arms. He hadn't had a nap so it was ok. I talked to Nicole on the phone as I held him and he slept. She shared with me a little bit of her Saturday routine and their chore system. I will strive to implement it. We left before 8, picked up one pizza (cause there's weren't any hot-n-ready pizzas ready except one pep) and then home to eat that and get ready for bed. After we got home, Wesley returned from his week at Lake Powell. He's alive and well. Corey took him and Abi to a birthday bbq at Olie's house. Peter was excited to see Wes and showed him all the animals in a new book he got at Kid2Kid... Peter is so sweet.

The kids watched a movie, I took a quick bike ride and enjoyed the sunset - 

Then I came back home and Peter and I worked on his Pre-K workbook. Peter is learning his colors and shapes and he is such a smarty pants. 

I sent a few audio recordings to Wride Nation, our family fb messenger thread, of Peter talking and showing me all the things in his book. His little voice is sure precious. I'm putting kids to bed, Corey and WA should be back soon. It's been a good week and a decent start to the first week of summer. 

Friday Night Date Night

I took a bike ride in the morning three days this week, good job me. Here's a little glorious photo of part of the trail I take. It's gorgeous. 

It was a good day. the kids did well with chores and practicing music. I practiced violin a little bit, had some time to read, and am feeling good about getting in a good exercise session 5 days so far this week. Corey and I went out tonight to eat at Epicurious. I had the Yellow Curry with Tiger Shrimp, which hit the spot - I was wanting something coconut-y. Wes and Abi are both gone still, they'll be back tomorrow, but even with two big kids gone we are blessed to be able to get out for a date. Lily was our sitter. I don't think I've ever documented "date night" - so here is what tonight's date night looked like. Corey and I give ourselves permission to leave once a movie is on and pizza is ready for kids. We still have to remind them to keep food in the kitchen. Here they are at the table eating, but still watching the movie. 

Natalie and Peter eating at the counter, Peter with a mouth full of pizza.

Natalie was reading Peter a new book that we got at Kid to Kid today - "My first 100 animals". It's a big board book with pictures of all sorts of animals, birds, bugs and fish. He is learning how to say a lot of animal names and their sounds. He's getting good at all his ABCs and Numbers, and is pretty good at colors too. It's adorable. Peter used to call pizza "boo-bah" but now he can say it. Wesley was like "Darn! I thought it was so cute how he said boo-bah, but now he can say it right... he's growing up!" 😭 No, we're glad he's growing, and he's still so cute as he's learning, but part of us all wish that they could stay little. Another word that Wesley was sad that Peter stopped saying was "fee-fee" which was what he would say when something was broken and he wanted Wes to fix it "Fee-fee..." as he'd hand over a toy or lego. He's growing up, but he's still our sweet baby.