I'm so Glad When Helen Comes Home!

 

What a World, What a World! Courtesy of Helenoftrout: The weekend from her perspective

Over the weekend I traveled up to Idaho Falls to visit my friend Angela Cronin and her family.  I was a bit nervous about the weather forecast showing Logan was going to get a bunch of snow.  I keep the snow cleared for mom and dad's apartments, so leaving town when there is supposed to be snow can cause problems.  I had decided to cancel the trip to Idaho, but the Spirit told me to go ahead and go have fun and not worry about snow.  So, off I went! (Turns out the snow did not accumulate in Logan because the temperatures were above freezing, YAY!  It wasn't until I had returned home that the snow started accumulating and needed to be cleared. Thanks Heavenly Father!)

Angela and I have so much fun hanging out!  We did some yoga Saturday morning.  McKinley was climbing all over me and I couldn't stop laughing.   Then she'd toot in my face and I'd have to run away from her cause it smelled so bad!  It should've been called Chaos Yoga instead of Power Yoga! Meanwhile, Angela was over there maintaining perfect form and calm, breathing patterns...alas!  I got the better workout tho, hahaha!

I discovered a feature on my phone for selfies.  You hold your hand up in front of the camera, then make a fist.  The camera then knows you want to take a selfie and starts a 3 second countdown.  Here are a bunch of photos playing with that discovery.

Saturday night Chad, Angela, and myself went and played Racquetball together.  It was sooooo nice to finally get a few games of racquetball in.  It has been YEARS since I've played.  Something about running around in a small room, chasing a fast ball, while dodging people, is SO FUN!

After our racquetball game, we went shopping at Winco.  I didn't know shopping with Chad could be dangerous hahaha! He kept adding all sorts of junk food and treats to the cart!  Angela just rolled her eyes and moved forward with the items on her list, commenting that this is why Chad isn't allowed to do the grocery shopping. We got home with at least 2 extra bags of items NOT on her list.

Monday morning I headed out the door, back to Utah.  Heather had invited me to go sledding up at Bear Lake that evening.  Leaving Angela's is always a sad day.  However, when I get to go from one fun thing to another, the transition isn't so bad.  Angela snapped a few photos of the exit scene when I was trying to get out the door.  The kids were holding onto me, preventing me from leaving the house.  It's fun to feel so loved!  It definitely goes both ways!

Valen'sDay

 

This little girl right here was the belle of the ball! I was at work on Friday and the receptionist came running to me gushing, "your daughter!" I didn't even realize she was at the office so her exclamation was met with a bit of confusion. But she beckoned me to follow her and see "the cutest thing". So I followed. And oh my word! There in the lobby was McKinley with Chad. His arms were full of long roses and one at a time, he was handing them to her and she would carry them over to patients and staff alike and give them away saying with the sweetest little voice, "Happy Valen'sday Tine!"

And I enjoyed the moment rather than break out the camera so you'll just have to imagine how very cute it was and let this 3 days post event pic do. 

And they didn't forget me!💗💗💗

It was such a very sweet and thoughtful gesture by them both! They touched many hearts that day. And I am so grateful for Chad and the love he has for those around him. And for the dad he is, to share that love and to teach it!

A Visit from Helen!

I'm so glad when Helen comes home... Glad as I can be!

Helen is a dear friend. A true friend. Someone who is very close to the spirit and works to maintain that relationship. She is self sacrificing and full of love. She is an adventurer through and through and very generously invites us along to share in her planned adventures. We LOVE Helen! I keep telling her that she needs to buy one of the empty acres next to us... 😂. She's a little attached to her family though. Who are also great people so I can't really blame her. 

Helen came and visited us this weekend. And even though we didn't go on an adventure, it was so much fun! Chad and Helen both have been itching for a real game of racquetball and they were kind enough to invite me along. Chad and Helen played racquetball. The game I played was more like dodgeball LOL. We made the mistake of taking Chad to the grocery store on the way back and he stocked us up on all sorts of goodies for the weekend! Have I mentioned Chad is not allowed to do the grocery shopping around here? 😂

Helen learned how to play on the hoverboards! She got quite good at them too. She even came up with a trick involving one person and 2 boards... we'll call it The Centipede. We danced on hoverboards, played tag on hoverboards, and none of us even broke anything (which is saying a lot because 2 weeks ago one of Jaedyn's friends broke her finger on the boards while at our house... we are hoping she is allowed to come back and play again someday). 

I've gotten quite into yoga and am really enjoying it. I introduced Helen to Hot Yoga this weekend and we both really enjoyed it. It was a bit of different styled yoga than I am used to. It was Yoga sculpt so kind of reminiscent of an aerobics class and yoga mixed together in a hot environment. It was mostly a good workout though I had to work to cover my smirk when we did "deadlifts". I wasn't very successful though because Helen commented on my reaction after the class. LOL. 

       

My girls absolutely love Helen. This is the scene we get every time when she tries to leave. Sometimes I have to bribe and threaten them to let her go. Which is hard to do since I don't want her to leave either!

Thanks for the fun visit Helen!!

 

Swim Team... Go Dragons!

This winter Jaedyn decided she wanted to do swim team with the middle school. She was so dedicated! The kid had practice at 8 o clock at night for an hour twice a week with swim meets first thing in the morning on Saturdays. Covid kept the family from getting to watch her which was super lame for her first season but hopefully there will be many more. 

Chad came home after one meet and asked who in the world was in charge of choosing the people who sang the national anthem at the meets. I was confused by the question and the emotion he was displaying. Well come to find out, he thought Jaedyn ought to give it a try because he was not impressed with the athlete's ability to stay on pitch. LOL. Well nothing came of it for several weeks but I randomly got a general email from someone over the championships requesting that if any athlete was interested in singing at the championship, to please respond. So I thought, "Hey! It's my chance to give Chad this!" So, after checking with Jaedyn, I responded, and she was approved! I can't express how proud I was of this kid! She was so nervous but did so well! 

She had quite the cheering section too as we broke the rules and I brought my brother, mom and dad, and our friends Justin and Kaden who just happened to be visiting that day. 

 

 

New Bedroom

I need a better camera. Chad has been saying it for years. But, until then we'll just have to make do with the phone. We decided to move Jaedyn and Lilia into a separate room. The quad beds have served us so well for 4 years but kids grow and their bedtimes get later and it just wasn't working to have a 3 year old and a 12 year old sleep together anymore! LOL. So here is the new and improved play room now converted to a bedroom for the older girls. I assure you, it is much cuter than it looks here! And maybe someday I'll go back and do an update on the quad beds Chad built for the girls. But here's a reminder...

It was a bit of a sad transition for me. Chad spent so many hours building these beds. They came complete with a false wall so he could inset a little bookshelf and outlet for a reading light. So many hours! So much heart was poured into these things! And so many late night giggles have been heard coming from behind this bedroom door! (along with other sounds if we are being real) But the memories and relationships that have developed over time as these 4 girls have shared this room will never be forgotten.

 

McKinley-isms

We have had an issue with dang woodpeckers pecking on our house! It's so aggravating. And can you believe they're a protected bird here?1 I think the same rules of trespassing should apply 😡Anyway, Chad commented on how the woodpeckers are back early this year (we had a very warm January... for Idaho). McKinley matter of factly stated, "They're Satan's pets". Chad and I both erupted in laughter and he asked who told her that?? She shrugged and said, "I just know".

And today she and I are hanging out at home. It's a nice, relaxed, and quiet morning. We got to play with a little friend for a bit. We got to go outside and swing and jump on the tramp (it's an even warmer February!). And we got to read some books. Then I had to turn a show on for her so I could get some charting done for work. She randomly just told me, "The days with McKinley are better". She is so right!

 

Puppy Love

Just a little puppy love for the month of February... a month to celebrate 💕

We sure love you Atlas!!!