A Touch Of Tyrell

I adore our kids. 

It was rained so much this Summer/Fall, it's been amazing! We like to take advantage of being outside any chance we get! All of the kids hoped in the pool after school and I made popcorn and they ate it under the umbrella. Kids remember the funniest things and this was Roxy's request. (When Everett and I went to see Jurassic World a few weeks ago, we brought home our leftover popcorn. Jake was in the pool with Roxy and Breckie so they ate the rest of the popcorn while they were in the pool.)  Later that day, after the rain, I went to check out a potential spot for family pictures. With the fallen leaves and the rain IT SMELLED LIKE HEAVEN!!!! I was so deeply happy I wanted to cry a little :) I never knew how much weather and seasons meant to me until I didn't have them anymore!

Breckie was in Dance for a whole month. She lasted a month and I was pretty proud of her for not quitting... but one day she didn't want to go anymore and I wasn't surprised. I tried to talk her into it but she really didn't want to go (so why pay??).  I just hope she doesn't quit school 😅😅😅 We got a flyer for a fundraiser for the high school spirit line. I thought Breckie would love it but she said no.  Then LAST MINUTE she heard that her friend Faith was doing it (and I wanted Breckie to try it) so she agreed. I think she had fun on the Saturday morning when they learned/practiced their cheer.  Then they got to preform the cheer and dance they learned Friday night at the game.  Oh boy were there tears!!! Sheesh. I was so impatient and angry at myself for thinking she'd actually do it. But in the end, she did go out on the field and it looked like she had a lot of fun. It was just the ending of a long week for the whole family (and it wa...

While we were in Flagstaff I got some really cool old books at the Goodwill Outlet. They were only 50 cents each! It was the best! I've always loved old books and have a small collection of Readers Digest.  I had been looking at the Goodwill near our house but it's actually kind-of expensive. Everyother Saturday is 50% off so I've been able to grow my collection. I'm hoping to have enough for a cool bookshelf like this for our future office someday! I've found some really, really cool ones that I totally treasure! It's been a fun thing to do here and there while we're working on other projects. 

Everett is really enjoying soccer. It's been really good for him and we're super glad he likes it.  It's still wicked hot out but he seems to be doing ok in the head... the weekly stop at for slushies Circle K seems to help :) Last Saturday he played goalie for a few minutes. I'm so glad he's brave enough to do that! The other team broke away and I got so nervous because if they made the goal it would be the winning goal. I knew he'd be crushed! The shot and he blocked it with his feet and then they shot again and he blocked it with his feet again! The third kick they made it in but he was totally okay. He was proud of himself and kept saying that he should have picked it up with his hands but in the moment there is so much action it's hard to think of everything!

Papa came for a visit. After spending the night and a long walk the next morning after we took the kids to school, he took Roxy and I out for breakfast. I suggested the French Toast at Kneaders because it's Heaven.  I think Papa agrees :) Roxy played toys and ate my ice chips. Maybe someday she'll be converted to the French Toast too!

It's mid September... the time of the year that I have the hardest time with. From now until Christmas I am completely off balance.  It should be cooling down and we should be getting ready for traditions and holidays. But instead, we are still just trying to survive the heat.  I try so so so so so hard to just get over it but it's just not happening. I need to experience the weather the way 'it's supposed to be'.  I get sad that my kids will never wake up to freshly fallen snow in their own beds. Every year it gets harder and I get more sad. And I know that I idealize the weather sometimes in other places, but it's hard not to when it's still over 100 degrees in the "Fall".  But the other Sunday, after church, it just starting pouring down rain. It turned into hail and it was the coolest thing ever.  I had made chili and cornbread for dinner and we had peach cobbler after.  When the storm was ove...

Last week I worked out really hard all 5 days at the gym and by Friday I wanted to show Jake just how strong I was. I pulled up my sleeve and flexed as hard as I could. And it hurt.  The next day my neck was really sore.  Then so was the next. It kept getting worse and headaches would accompany the pain everyday.  Breckie was home sick Tuesday and Wednesday with fevers and my neck pain was so bad I could hardly turn my head. Driving was the worst! Wednesday evening I made it to the chiropractor where I discovered that my neck pain was caused from a muscle near my shoulder blade that I pulled while flexing so super duper hard.  So I missed a whole week at the gym. And it's hot. And then Everett stayed home sick on Friday.  It wasn't my best week.  I'm still trying to recover :(

Jake has been able to mountain bike a little here and there still. I haven't been in 18 months. I've been going to the gym... one day I accidentally wore one of each shoe 😅

Breckie has been wearing some interesting things to school... and interesting hairstyles! But it's cool. I'm glad she has the confidence to be herself!

At five and a half Breckie is our professional family crafter. She is such a little creator and junk collector! She crafts and colors and cuts and glues all day long! She has glitter pens and shopkins and baggies of homemade slime and trinkets in all over the place.  She is our gift giver.  She hardly has a pain tolerance at all. She came home with bandaids for the first few weeks of school with very minor abrasions underneath :) She likes baking and watching crafting/toy videos on YouTube.   Since we didn't do preschool she seems to have a ways to go when it comes to writing. A lot of her letters get written backwards and after she writes the first line left to right, she will write the next like right to left with the letters mirrored.  She's pretty shy/timid which sometimes seems to translate into unfriendliness... but I understand. #storyofmylife These pictures are a...

Roxy will probably want sink baths until she no longer fits! *She was mad because her bubble beard got into her nose!

I'm always desperate to get my kids off the screen. I'd love for them to play (and play together for that matter!) but it takes a lot of effort on my part. Our kids are NOT naught or mischievous, but they also don't use their imaginations or play without Jake or I.  But I guess it's okay that I'll be in so many of their childhood memories :) And Breckie colored her nails... she's cute :)

We've been busy doing home improvements and projects and were in need of just some family fun out of the house. So we went bowling.  Roxy was crazy girl all over the floor and playing with the blowing air and Breckie didn't even want to try to bowl. She spent the whole time coloring on my phone.  But oddly enough it was still such a successful outing. Everett got to bowl for him and Breckie. He LOVED it.  I bowled (probably) my best game.  And then the next game I ALMOST got a turkey bowl #1! It could have been amazing... but the third ball I only knocked down one pin 😂 Jake beat me by ONE pin! It was fun :)

Between our house and the church building its just a bunch of empty neighborhood streets...  ...so we let Everett drive home one week. He may have run over a curb :)

About a week ago it was *ONLY* 95 degrees so Roxy and I headed to the park after the gym.  It took me back to all of the other times I've played for endless hours with our older babies in the sand. We have many more days like this to come as the temperatures drop!  I'm anxious to play outside some more!