April 24, 2016

A few pictures of the last week or so:

She's getting closer and closer to walking

The girls took this at church

Her hair is getting curlier and more difficult.  She also loves my phone.

Millie has known how to use my phone for way too long now.

Eric and I took the girls on a walk to the Lagoon trail the other night.  They rode their bikes while I pushed Millie and forced Eric to be my speed-walking buddy.  It was fun having him there.

Andi had her first big talk in primary last week.  My parents came to watch.  Here she is in the back of the primary room after her talk.  She did a great job...so calm and collected.

My parents even went to sacrament with us that day and I thoroughly enjoyed having them there.  What a blessing it is to have family around.

My nephew Luke recently had his 12th birthday, so here we are celebrating at Grandma Luke's.

The girls love to use photo collage apps to decorate the pictures on my phone.  Nice view, I know.  :)

Here are some of the youth in our ward.  Eric took their picture up at Ensign peak during an activity there this week.

My Thursday morning buddy.  My nephew Bo really knows how to put our playdoh to good use.

Standing!!!!

Abbey has been trying hard to help Millie learn to walk.  "Abbey's Walking Academy," as she likes to call it.  :)

Andi earned a lunch date with Grandma this last term at school, so we took her to Red Lobster--her restaurant of choice.  The girl loves to love seafood.

Andi showed great tenderness with my mom that day.  She loves her grandma and has a sweet connection with her.

This Saturday was our school's annual "5K Color Run."  We made it a tradition last year and so it continues.  I love our school and the community that makes it so great.

We all got good and messy! 

The hardest part of these things is cleaning the shower afterwards.  :)

Andi and I nearing the finish line

The "color bomb" at the end.

Some of them liked the color more than others.  

All in all, though, I'd say it was a success.  Proud of the girls for running as hard as they did and for pushing themselves.

Millie came too--she rode in the stroller and kept taking her socks off.  

It was a good week.  

Eric stayed busy as always.  He's great at helping with homework in the evenings and faithfully attending his Young Men activities.  He's also been a faithful runner these days--He has two big races coming up and is really trimming down.  I've been proud of him.  

In addition, he's kept us on track with our nightly scripture study--a big thing for us.  We made a goal to read at night before bed (probably about five days a week) and he's been great at helping me make that happen.  I can't say I've always been good at scripture study...especially with my spouse...So this has been a great experience to have together and a testimony builder for sure.

Abbey has been staying busy at school as well.  Her good friend Allyson is moving and will be attending a different school, so that's been a bit of a bummer for her.  She enjoyed having no piano this week so she could go to all of her Activity Days.  She started tennis lessons this week with Andi and did a great job at that.  She was also able to go visit Grace in Provo last night since Grace and her family are in town.  That made her very happy.

Andi enjoyed having her two friends, Olivia and Sicilily, over to play on Friday.  They are twins and she has loved having them in her class at school this year.  I always enjoy seeing her in her element at school--so social and bustling around with friends as they come up with their latests--football with the boys, a play they're preparing to perform, a song they're writing.  So fun.  She said she "loved" tennis class this week, even though she was the youngest in her class.  

Ava is continuing along her first grade journey. She is reading more and more.  She is enjoying chapter books.  She loves the monkey bars (the blisters on her hands are proof.)  She is working on learning how to tie her shoe.  It has been a source of distress for her, but we are working on that.  She got her second sliver this week while at school and had a rough afternoon because of it.  She is going through a bit of a high-anxiety phase again, so we are trying to help her through that.  Her karate class is preparing for their belt test next week and she seems to enjoy the exercise and the friends she makes there.  She is full of energy and responds well to that active environment.

Millie, as mentioned before, is getting closer and closer to walking.  She enjoys standing.  She loves to yell for "Andi" at any random time during the day.  She unfortunately is getting more attached to her thumb and loves to suck on it--while playing with her hair.   I often find her with a fistful of hair in her hand when I go get her in the morning.  She's a great errand buddy, as always. She loves to be tended by Grandma Luke and even Aunt Lori (even though she wouldn't let Lori put her down while tending her this week.) While she is still very much a busy body--always on the move--She is getting a little better at just sitting with me--partly out of her growing attachment to mommy.  I took her to nursery at church for the first time today (just for a half an hour to get used to it.)  The first fifteen minutes were fine, but the last were horrible.  

My week was full of the usual--dentist and doctor visits, taxi cab driving to and from all the many lessons, visiting teaching, tending my nephew, trying to spend time with my family, volunteering at the school, doing homework with the girls, cooking, grocery shopping, errand running, bath giving.  I finished my project of painting our outdoor lights this week.  I did some good yard work and am very much enjoying our pretty green grass this time of year, along with our budding new trees in our front yard.  I really enjoyed being able to take Andi out for her hard-earned lunch date this week.  I enjoyed the Color Run and doing that activity as a family.  Last night Eric took Abbey and Ava to the Zimmermans, so Andi and I watched a Narnia movie...Michael loved those books so much, so that was so sweet watching that with her.  I am enjoying my primary calling and was able to do another lesson this week.  I feel like I'm getting more and more into the groove with that.  I am continuing to dig deep as I try to find enough time and energy for everything, but feel very blessed to have all the opportunities I have to do and be and serve and give.