4th of July

This was cute because Molly was competing with Luke and Brad to see who could jump the farthest :).  So cute!!

FOURTH OF JULY
We had an awesome 4th of July this year!  Mainly because Nate was home!  We got to go to parade- I had to take Kelly early (she was in it with her Lacrosse team), so I laid out a blanket in between some of the chairs that were almost hogging our spot.  We got there a little early and just waited... and people watched, cuz let's be honest- that's why we go to those kinds of things :).  The Desmonds showed up just before it started, it was fun to have them there with us.  I love parades.  I know you're not supposed to, but I do.  Even the commercial ones.  It's just fun to be in that setting with my whole family together.  This year especially.  I loved watching the big kids run up and get cool stuff and then turn around and hand it to someone smaller than them. I  caught Charity giving a small frisbee to Erika and then she turned around and gave it to Molly with extra excitement to get her all into it- SO CUTE!!  I love that.  And when Brad slowly followed the truck with free stuff so that Jack could have one.  So fun!  We were bummed they didn't bring the water fight down to us, and we did get stuck in the Kung Fu Gourmet (yes, I know it's not called that anymore, but the new name feels inappropriate) parking lot, but for the most part we had a great time- and loved the earlier start time!  Definitely not as hot.  Still hot, but not AS hot.  After the parade we sat around and relaxed.  I have to remind myself that this is important.  It's been weird lately to feel like we need to go go go.  That's really not how I am, so it's weird that it's not coming more naturally.  But either way- Nate needed to sleep (worked the mid the night before and hadn't slept yet) and I wasn't about to go swimming (the only idea I hear come out of the kids) on the 4th of July.  We have seen EVERY. SINGLE. EPISODE. of Studio C that there is- at least TWICE!!  Kinda embarrassing.  But it is still funny.  So around 6:00 we woke up Nate and he finished the ribs.  Grandpa and Dawn and Steve came for some dinner.  Then we all went over to Barnes Park for the Fireworks.  I LOVED the fireworks show!!  I thought they did a really great job!  Choreographed to music and everything!  We had THE PERFECT spot, on the north side of the ball fields, right next to the fence.  It was PERFECT!  It's been a while since we've seen them that up close.  Not since Riverton ones with the Maynes family.  So that was awesome.  Molly was adorable, needing her ears covered up with her B the whole time.  And Charity with her ear plugs.  I loved hearing the boys talk about how close they all were.  It was really neat.  And who doesn't get teary-eyed hearing those patriotic songs with fireworks!  I LOVE the 4th of July!  Such a cool day!  Everyone being all patriotic and focused on how awesome our country is!  I really love it.  The drive home, though, I didn't love.  I mean, the actual driving home part was fine, it was the hour sitting in the car in the parking lot that kind of soured the night a little for me.  Not completely.  Molly did eventually stop screaming, and Jack ended his whine-fest, and Charity and I did find some funny episodes of Studio C on YouTube while we waited, but MAN!  I hope they can get that whole thing figured out for next year.  Nate and some of the kids had parked at Smith's and walked- that's probably the way to go for next year.  But as I said, it wasn't the end of the world.  Just a bummer to get home so late.  Everyone had fallen asleep in the car- minus Charity, so I they have no idea how long it took.  And all was well.  Fun day!!  7-4-18

Hatch Party

DAY 4
We went to Emily's for some free stuff and socializing.  Picked up the boys from grandma's house.  Came home for some lunch, playing with friends, cards, and to let the repair guy fix our dryer- YAY! (and also not yay- I'm still not sure if I'm happy to do laundry or not :)  but I did get almost a week break from it :)-- still not sure if that is good or bad! HA!)  Then we made our salads and headed off to the Hatch Party at John and Heidi's.  We had a great time eating, swimming, and not swimming in the poop (not a typo, someone pooped in the pool so we got out :) )  Erika and Noah had fun with Uncle John, Charlie and Alvin in the "deep end".  Jack insisted that he play in the "warm tub" (it wasn't too hot for kids) because the pool was so cold.  Molly and I were stuck together the whole evening :).  She was being super cute and enjoyed going back and forth from the cold pool to the warm pool.  Til the poop incident.  I found the poop when I got out to go get my camera (and the couple in the hot tub who were loudly complaining about kids being in there- ugh) and take some pictures of everyone, so I didn't get any of them actually in the pool- but I did get a few of everyone sitting around.  And Steve got some of his shoe.  It's been a lot of fun to get to spend so much time with the Hatches.  Especially for Noah- he really loves Charlie and Alvin.  6-29-18

Me and the Littlests

ME AND THE LITTLESTS
So with Nate, Brad, Luke, Charity and Kelly all gone to their things all week- that leaves just the other half of us home together!  It's been an interesting two days so far.  It's just such a different dynamic!  For one thing- I cannot run little errands here and there whenever I please- I have to load them all up and take them with me which we all don't seem to enjoy all that much.  Poor Jack is not loving having to go places.  He's gotten very used to his lifestyle of staying home with whichever big kid is staying home.  And Molly... she is a handful and there's not a lot of extra big hands to help out with her.  I must say that Noah and Erika have totally stepped it up and they are trying their best to fill the big kid roles.  I don't think they really like it, but they're doing good.  We miss the big kids for a lot of reasons, one of mine being that I'm starting to get my ego back-- HA! Just kidding- they don't make fun of me THAT much.  I'm kidding.  But really- I could go on and on about how much I miss them.  But I do think that these times are good for everyone.  It's good for the little kids to experience this position.  We've done a lot of fun things together to make up for everyone's absence and I've realized there's a lot of things they enjoy doing- easy things- that the big kids wouldn't care for, that we've been able to do!  So that's been good.  Plus, I'm going to say it- there's definitely less fighting.  There.  That's all I'll say about that.  So Monday, after the kids played with their friends- we decided to roast hot dogs for dinner (see what I mean about easy!).  Chips and Hot dogs for dinner :).  We then got the idea to make S'mores too!  And then while we were down by the creek decided it was the perfect setting for FHE.  So Noah gave us a lesson on Repentance and Baptism.  He's so cute when he's the big brother.  Everyone loved it.  I could have done without all the weird bugs.  But whatever.  It was a lot of fun.  Jack cried when we started cleaning up and putting the fire out.  I was a little jealous when the kids kept talking about what the Maughans do when they're roasting hot dogs and stuff, and I realized they've done that more with them than with us.  But oh well.  Then it occurred to me that we are really blessed to have such a good family full of kids our kids' ages for our kids to spend time in their home.  It's definitely not always the case.  We are very blessed.  So after our S'mores we ran to the craft store because I needed some thread and we ended up picking up some little wood craft things for them to paint the next day.  That was a lot of fun.  Minus Molly screaming.  Then we got home and the kids cleaned up the kitchen while I set up the projector movie!  We watched Monster Trucks and had a great time together all of us on the tramp!  Tuesday I had to get up early and clean the garage for Produce which I did all by myself because everyone was still sleeping!  Kinda nuts!  Then we got breakfast and jobs out of the way and they got to paint the things we bought.  They were SO CUTE painting!  It's been a while since I did anything like that with those four.  Maybe never.  But they loved it, I loved it, it was fun!  I hope I always remember that.  They were so sweet with each other.  Noah painted a "Wish Frame" which is basically a bank in a frame- there's a slot at the top and then they made it so you can take out the back to put in a picture of something you want to save for.  Cute Noah put a picture of himself from his Baptism photo shoot, in his suit that he loved, and painted "Elder Maynes" on top of it- he wanted a bank to save up for his mission!!  Love that kid!  Erika painted a little house- looks like a dog house to me- totally cute- and she did it in the colors of her room so it would match :).  She helped Molly a lot as well, totally talking her through the whole process.  Such a good big sister.  Jack also painted a bank- his was clear in the front as well.  He sure enjoyed this!  I wasn't sure he would, but he got into it.  I loved it.  Molly (being the spoiled youngest kid that she is) got two things to paint- her M (which she has become completely obsessed with) and a cute box.  She was adorable too and super happy through the whole project.  It was cute to see how well she did, and how much attention to paid to a lot of the details.  Cute girl.  "I wike puhpoh and pink".  Then we spent the rest of the day playing with friends, and being bummed that friends couldn't play- poor Noah- and learning to play a new card game with mom- again, poor Noah- just kidding, he actually really liked this one, called James Bond.  I like it too- takes some strategy.  We ran to the store and delivered the PTA binder, then played some more.  See how busy we are when the big kids are gone :).  Then we did the unthinkable and had breakfast for dinner!!  The kids were ecstatic!  Even Jack!  And he ate!!!  It was so much fun for some reason!  I'm just loving the simplicity of these people of mine :).  And maybe it's me that makes it so I think things have to be bigger, maybe it's not the big kids... I don't know.  But these guys definitely get excited over some pretty simple things.  We ran off to Pack Meeting after that- then home to watch a movie while I went to my dumb Parent Board Meeting.  I just realized on my way home that being Secretary means that I have to be to every meeting.  EYE ROLL!!!  Ugh.  Oh well.  We'll see how it goes.  I can do something else next year maybe.  The littles survived on their own and everyone was alive and watching movies when I got home.  Not asleep, but alive :).  I'll take it.  And the house was still standing.  Helps that Molly went to bed before I left.  Still the best sleeper ever.  So anyway.  We've got big plans for the rest of the week- hopefully the kids survive being with me without the buffer of the big kids.  6-26-18