2.27.2019

What's Up Wednesday


What's Up Wednesday post - I totally quit linking up with the bloggers a while ago, but I like the prompts so I'm going to keep doing it ;)
What we're eating this week: 
All of the Disneyland food!
What I'm reminiscing about:
My mother-in-law, who passed away a year ago Sunday. After church, we drove out to the snow-capped Superstitions, shared memories of her, and sent her some yellow balloons and all of our love. We can't believe it's been a year. It's hard losing your mom no matter how old you are.
What I'm loving:  
  • The SNOW we got in Arizona this weekend! I have never seen snow like this in all of the years I've lived here. There was SO MUCH on the mountains! 

  • The fact that Kate wants Spencer in the night, just like Jack and David did/do. I don't know how I managed to get all of my kids to do this, but honestly I think it's because I CAN NOT fall asleep with my kids touching me and they have figured out that Spencer CAN. haha


  • This Ipad watching super girl :) 

Kate always is accessorized and I love it :)

  • JACK LEARNED TO RIDE HIS BIKE!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!
  • Jack's first book report project. He picked out a book on rocks and minerals at the library and when we got home from the library, we checked the mail and there was a letter to Jack from Grandma Annie with a news article on the rock cycle! She must have been inspired, because Jack was SO EXCITED to use the article for his poster!
  • My old neighbor and friend who moved to Tennessee just got rollerblades! This is my fifth friend that has gotten rollerblades after rollerblading with me so I'd like to think I have started a movement ;)
What we've been up to:
We've been having play dates with friends! Kate is always TERRIFIED when Jack's friends come over - I don't blame her - they are rowdy and LOUD! haha



Jack finished his second season of basketball. His coach is amazing and he had a lot of friends on his team this year - he loved it! 

Since we are going to be out of town on Spencer's birthday, we celebrated at home this weekend. Spencer got a weight bench, and Jack and David got the box it came in and they have not stopped playing with it! The box has been a boat, a cage, a fort, a door, and a dance prop! haha
Kate has been having more play dates lately and she LOVES playing with her friends. She got to go with her friend, Harper, to the aquarium in Scottsdale and I loved getting all of the updates from her mom!



What I'm working on:
Printing out my blog! I had to fix 2 1/2 years worth of pictures on my blog, which basically meant I had to go into every post and reinsert every picture - it ended up taking me about a year and a half to fix. Then, when it was finally fixed, my favorite site to print out my blog was down for almost a year! When the website finally came back up, I printed out my entire blog (6 books and 1535 pages!) and now I sleep well at night, knowing that if the internet quit tomorrow, I would at least have my blog to give my kids ;) Jack and David love looking through them!

What I'm excited about:
DISNEYLAND!!!!
What I'm watching:
My mom has been raving about this show for years, but since it wasn't on Netflix we never watched it. This week we checked out the first season at the library and LOVE IT. Oh my gosh, it's soooo funny! 














What I'm reading:
I finally got around to reading One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly: The Art of Seeking God by Ashley Mae Hoiland and it spoke to my soul. I loved this description of the book:

This book is for the restless souls who desire to know God more deeply. Hoiland bids us follow her down the hallowed and well-trodden between the heart and the mind, where glimpses of godliness are discovered in rainstorms, bus rides, temples, and mountains. As a Latter-Day Saint, Hoiland explores the complexities of faith in everyday life, where laughter and creativity matter as much as faith, hope, and charity. 
I seriously loved it so much! I will definitely be reading it again.














What I've been listening to:
I have been listening to Winnie the Pooh on repeat in our car while my kids watch in the back for a couple of weeks now. Kate LOVES it, and Jack and David like it too. There aren't a ton of shows that my kids love that I also loved as a kid, so I am always happy when we find one!



















What I'm doing this weekend: 
Celebrating Spencer's birthday in California!!!
What I'm looking forward to next month:
Spring break and more good weather!
Bonus Question: What is your favorite board game to play with kids?
We don't play a lot of board games but we do play Uno and Skipbo quite a bit!
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2.20.2019

Things we've been up to

  • Bike riding to the farm animals - my favorite activity with my kids!



  • Seeing Aladdin at Gammage. I went with my friend, Alicia, and I loved it!

  • Swimming with Kate during Jack and David's swim lessons :)

  • Hanging out in this adorable dress from my parents :)
  • Spending more birthday money at the Disney Store :)
  • Working hard at school (I really love that I can take pictures of Jack's school work and then throw it away, guilt free!)
  • Boycotting naps then passing out during after school car pool
  • Kickball date night with friends, and sadly were sooooo sore from it the next day! haha
  • Late night fire pit with friends :)
  • Piggy back rides from Jack
  • Valentine's day sugar highs! Jack lined up all of his candy and said, "If I were making a YouTube video of my Valentines I would say, 'Like and comment if you think you have more candy than me!'" hahaha

Kate drags her puppy purse from my parents everywhere!!! She loves it!

2.16.2019

Hiking lately

We hiked three weekends in a row! The first two times were just me and Spencer and the last week we took the kids. Arizona winters are my favorite!
After hiking Camelback the first week, Spencer and I tried Piestewa Peak for the first time and loved it.






The next weekend we hiked to the Wave Cave with the kids for the first time and LOVED IT. It was by far our best hiking experience with kids and our favorite local hike yet. We hardly ran into anyone on the trail and it was SO GREEN! David didn't whine the entire way up (I won't mention the way down ;) and Kate insisted on hiking by herself (reeeeeally slowly) for over half a mile up before wanting to be packed again. The boys would run up ahead and hide and would chase them up the trail to go find them! It kept them all having fun and distracted from the incline :)







Hiding from Kate :)










Kate conked out at the end and Gilbert greeted us with a gorgeous sunset on the drive home :)


I hope we can squeeze in a few more hikes before it gets too hot!