The kids have had some quality time with grandparents as of
late. Grandma Neyens invited Jonathan
and James over for an overnighter with cousins Dallin and Sterling at the end
of Christmas break and they had a great time playing games and attending church
with her. Last weekend was a three-day
weekend. Grandpa and Grandma D. were
already in the area celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary
(woohoo!) and came by Friday morning so Grandpa D. could watch kiddos for the
day while Grandma D. and I made a day trip to visit my great aunt, Gwen. She’s my Grandpa Vroman’s sister. Gwen is 96 but still very sharp and a great
lady. We spent Saturday through Monday
with Grandpa and Grandma D. and my brother Joseph, sister-in-law Nicole and
their kiddos, Elle, Hyrum, Chloe and Dane. The weekend consisted of fun: puzzles, bike
riding, games, going out to dinner, a Mormon Battalion visit and perfectly
lovely Coronado Beach. While in San
Diego, we stayed at the same building where Michael and I lived when Jonathan
was born. It sure brought back
memories. We went out to breakfast and
Ryan started licking up some yogurt he spilt on the table. I guess he just wanted to show Grandma D.
what good manners he learns around our house.
I asked him if he was a boy or a puppy dog and he didn’t hesitate to
tell us he was a dog with a big smile.
The other day Michael asked me where the iron and ironing
board were. I told him that they are in
the same place they’ve been in the last two years that we’ve lived here. He didn’t know where that was. Somehow he goes to work everyday wearing a clean,
ironed shirt so I guess I’m the invisible ironing fairy lady.
I had Jonathan play I Am a Child of God (easy I Can Play It version)
as prelude for Sharing Time today. We’ve
been working on it. Now I need to spend
this next month catching up on all the scout requirements he needs before he
turns nine. We took a break from
scouting for a few months because it conflicted with swimming and our ward was
split a couple months ago so scouting alone will keep us busy all month. He’s been doing a good job at helping me out
when Michael’s out of town. He comes home
and gets everything on his to-do list done without complaining most of the
time. Baseball skills assessment day was
yesterday. This will be his first time
playing.
According to James’ report card, he is pretty much
perfect. He and Gracie were adorable
holding hands and jumping over waves together at the beach. He loves babies and is good with them.
Gracie loves singing, cuddles and drawing. She gets lonely in her room all by herself
and jumps at any opportunity she has to take her pink blanket and thumb sucking
(which she is fully aware she is too old for) into the boys’ room. When Grandpa and Grandma D. came to visit,
Ryan showed off his skill of riding down the stairs on his tummy. Seeing the attention he got, Gracie decided
to show them she could do it too.
However, she hurt her knee and looked away so no one would see her sad
face. We do reading lessons, read books
and play house. She rides James’ old red
bike with training wheels and Ryan has inherited her tricycle. All the kiddos like to cuddle but they love it if they get cuddle time with Michael and me together.
Ryan loves to help empty the dishwasher. He is active and has a prominent receding
hairline. The older kids were playing a board game tonight with Michael and he often makes playing games difficult so I read him about 45 board books in the rocking chair. He couldn't get enough.
I gave Michael 12 envelops with gift cards for dates as a
Christmas gift. I planned one date for
each month of 2015. Our first one was
Rubios and game night with friends Jodi and Stephen last night. We rarely go out (thus documented on this
blog) but had a great time. Here’s to 11
more pre-planned dates for the year! I
was just called to be the Laurel advisor in our new ward (I lost my primary
calling when boundaries changed). I
taught for the first time today. The
girls seem nice and can sit still much longer than primary kiddos. I don’t really have much free time since
Michael’s often gone but I’ve enjoyed a few good books and occasional runs.
