Another week (and nearly month) gone by. After lots of learning and troubleshooting, and with the help of our neighbor I fixed a couple of sprinkler heads and now the system is all good to go. We've been working steadily to weed, clear out, prune, and beat back the relentless entropy of our home and it feels good! The kids love being outside, especially if we are out there working. They discovered "potato" bugs and Hinckley created a little home for them in a box with dirt and weeds and is always on the lookout. Also, some huge mushrooms appeared overnight which was a big excitement. The kids collected samples to put in jars to see if anything happens with them. The kids helped Kassie plant some potatoes and carrots (I think?) while I was out getting a sprinkler head, and things are looking good.
This week Hinckley discovered the "blobfish", his new favorite animal which he declares is so cute. When I looked it up online and he saw that it had been voted "The ugliest animal in the world" he was genuinely angry, and has since printed out pictures to color of the Blobfish and even started a story about one named Bob. Of course, Greyson and Addie also got printouts to color, and hearing Greyson chirp about "Bopfish?!" is extremely cute. I took the three of them up to Battle Creek falls, a great hike near the "G" in Pleasant Grove and they had a wonderful time.
Addie has been enjoying her own room these last few nights as we decided to move Greyson into the other room. Without his chirping and teasing at night she seems to be able to fall asleep much faster, and sleep about 15 min longer...so far. Which is so helpful! She hasn't been too scared, and a small picture of a Rock Giant from Frozen 2 I drew for her keeps her safe.
Greyson has started saying his own prayers (carbon copies of the ones he's heard from Addie) and even singing songs at night and starting out the story. He is piecing together words to make is strong opinions heard which is often helpful, and yet frustrating as the words he uses don't always mean what he intends them too! By holding my hands while jumping on the tramp he introduced a new favorite tramp jumping activity for all kids in which I launch them into the air while still holding them. He was laughing so hard he could hardly stand, all the while saying "Oh my gosh guys!" It was pretty funny, but got old after many many times and I could hardly hold my arms up myself haha. Turns out Greyson has the same knack of spotting tiny things (remember Hinckley and the bee bees at the family reunion?). Greyson will look out the window and say "bird!" and after a few moments, we will spot a very tiny bird in a very obscure place. Even Hinckley has been impressed.
Love to all, we hope the best for your week this week.
Random Thought:
I recently finished the book A Good Neighbor about Mr. Rogers and When Breath Becomes Air - a memoir about a neurologist who dies of cancer (Kassie’s recommendation). The question of “What is the meaning of life?” and "what makes for a "good" life" is explored in these books a good deal, and from very different perspectives. But from this, and my own reading this week in Mosiah, has me thinking about how meaning and worthwhile living must be byproducts of living with or in spite of fear while striving. Striving to be “steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works” which both of these men from these books did so. Of course, the doctrine of the Plan of Salvation states a few concrete purposes of life: obtain a body, gain experience, and to have joy. I think the last one is the most often wrestled with as the other two (body and experience) sort of happen regardless of what we actually choose to do while on earth.
It seems important to distinguish the difference of “the purpose of life” from the “meaning of life”. Or is it? Are they one and the same? If I have a purpose, then I ought to have meaning, right? Maybe not. I may have a purpose at my job (build training) but I suppose I could carry out that purpose and feel little meaning in it. Wheras if I shift that purpose to "help people fill their potential" I might do the same things in my work but derive muc more meaning from it.
I think meaning comes when we learn to “hear, heed, and hearken” to God but also the people and world around us. It comes as we choose to act and not be acted upon in service of others, and when we learn to see things as they really are and as they really will be. That is why I believe the arts and literature are such an important part of the human experience, they transcend my understanding of our daily monotony of life and help me see the miracle and beauty of the living organisms that surround us. Perhaps that is also why cultivating gratitude can be so transformative to how we live as it trains our senses and spirit to see the Greatness of God as King Benjamin suggested.
April 19, 2020
Another week passed by and despite the unusual conditions, we are often surprised at how the time passes. Might have to do with each day feeling exactly like the other!
We had a really great time seeing the Kays and Mom and Dad on Saturday, that was a highlight of the week I think. On Tuesday we had a guy from the ward help with getting our garden boxes hooked up to one of our sprinkler stations so that is pretty nifty. We've got the lines installed now for a drip system and are watching many a YouTube video on how to properly water plants. Lots to learn in that regard.
I finished A Good Neighbor this week, a biography about Fred Rogers, and was delighted when the kids actually watched an episode or two of Mr. Rogers which is available on Amazone Prime and also here. After reading the book my appreciation for Mr. Rogers has grown. For example, did you know he was an ordained minister? He considered his show his own unique ministry to the children and families of the world.
Hinckley had a date with Kassie Friday night, eating marshmallows and watching Home Alone here at home. I could hear him laughing loudly from our room upstairs! He had a blast. He has been thinking a lot about "being normal" in that he doesn't like much food, and he wishes we had "Real junk food" (like Gushers!). It is so interesting to me that as humans we all want to be normal - or belong, and yet at the same time, we all want to be different and special. The gospel can provide both I think as we serve others and help all belong in the church as Saints in Zion, while also utilizing our unique individual gifts and identities that only we possess.
Addie operates on full throttle. She has begun reacting extremely angrily with shouting, threatening behaviors lately on just about every topic. There are some oasis moments in which she plays with Hinckley and Greyson really well, but the storm quickly resumes based on a nearly infinite number of factors. It is difficult to remember that she probably doesn't understand herself why she is behaving like that and that she is usually tired (as still wakes up first), likely feeling some big feelings due to the pandemic, growing, and many other things. She has some very sweet moments too of course, especially if she succumbs to an impromptu nap midday.
Greyson's sentences continue to expand as he expresses his strong opinions and explores the world. He wants whatever Hinckley and Addie have, and loves following them around. He continues enjoying looking at books of all shapes and sizes, and loves finding ways to assert is own individuality. These assertions show themselves best in areas such as on walks in which he refuses to sit in the stroller OR walk. He must be carried. Another area is food, he must get what he wants, when he wants, it, or else he'll bring us all to our knees with his piercing yet robust screams. Needless to say, there is a lot of screaming these days. He has also had many frequent moments of wanting to simply cuddle, it is quite irresistible and I often enjoy his cuddles during long team meetings in my closet.
April 12, 2020
Happy Easter! This week it felt like Spring truly arrived. The neighborhood is ablaze with multi-colored blossoms, and the grass is growing green as the leaves begin to bud. It is an absolutely beautiful time of year. I took Tuesday off as a part of the Spring Break week, and we set up the trampoline and filled the garden boxes with dirt. The kids had a blast with those activities and so far the joy of the tramp slightly outweighs the contention of sharing it and not bouncing Greyson too hard. I've really enjoyed teaching the kids some of the old Trampoline games we used to play and just jumping on there brought back so many wonderful memories of the olden times. We've been reading the Easter story each night and hope to have a good day today celebrating the resurrection of the Savior.
Addie and I had a fun date up Provo canyon on Saturday and then getting donuts at the grocery store after that. She was very sweet as we walked in Vivian park, holding my hand and wanting to sing primary songs as we walked by the river and other beautiful nature scenes. We also played "Poohsticks" (that game needs another name, despite it referencing Whinnie the Pooh), by dropping some sticks on one side of a bridge and going to the other side to see them come out. Hinckley and I had some good tramp jumping times, and he has been very creative with building Legos lately. He has finished two of the four Roal Dahl books he got on St Pats day and is now on James and the Giant Peach. He loves looking for worms and exploring the landscape as I work out in the yard, it is a joy to watch and listen to. Greyson badly wants to be where everyone else is, but is often unhappy when doing so. He wants to be on the tramp, but not if anyone else is jumping, and so it seems his destiny is to teach the whole family patience. Being as cute and cuddly as he is though, it is hard to ignore is requests (I wanna jump guys!)
April 5, 2020
This week we made strides on some of our outside project goals. I built a second garden box, and leveled the ground for those to sit on. With the help of a neighbor I figured out how to get the sprinklers working and which stations mean which area, so that is a relief. We're falling into some kind of routine with the stay at home life that seems to be working and somehow time continues to fly by.
Hinckley has gotten really interested in drawing different robot/drones from Star Wars lately, and he is constantly wanting us to pull up different models online so he can draw them. He loves when we go outside to work in the yard, and he runs around full of excitement at the notion of each task. As I leveled out the dirt for the garden boxes there were many worms that were unearthed and he had a blast observing them and making up stories about them. He got the courage to touch one but couldn't convince Addie to do so. It was a joy to hear them chattering about worms in the dirt while I was working. He was very concerned about the worms getting baked in the sun, and felt very protective over them. This week I attended his music class with him - a virtual Zoom music class. It was quite interesting to see the teacher try and teach 6-8 kids all by video chat, but she did it. It was pretty hard for Hinckley, and in the middle of it his elementary school teachers drove by as a part of the Dry Creek Elementary Teacher's parade, so he tore outside with his paper he drew for his teacher and held it up for her while sitting in the tree in our front yard. Also this week, he and I used his "zombie slayer" nerf guns to shoot a spider down from way high up on the wall beyond our reach. That was pretty fun, though once we shot it down we couldn't find it....
Addie has started playing with Greyson a lot more, but continues to follow Hinckley around and mimic whatever he is doing. She continues to change clothes and dresses every few minutes and seems to take contrarian positions whenever we mention something. That said, she can be very sweet and loves cuddle times. She enjoys her dance videos and Kids Yoga routines and going outside to play in the back yard. She, along with the boys, was overjoyed when the city of Lehi ("Easter Bunny Helpers") left some eggs in our front yard for them to search for. I'm glad Kassie saw the posting and signed up for that as not many folks were able to get that.
Greyson has started adding "guys" to the end of nearly every statement. "I need my passy guys!" "Don't poop in the bath guys!" and "I play basketball guys!" It is very cute. He also will randomly quote things either from his library books or things he has heard, including "Here come the cops!" ha ha ha. He sat for much of Saturday's conference sessions with Kassie and I, just looking at the screen and sitting on one of our laps. It was very sweet. He has taken an interest in wearing the PJ masks and he and Addie will run around the house with those on and sometimes capes or blankets tied around them. Really is a cute time!
March 29, 2020
This week I talked with Trent about his research regarding entrepreneurship in times of disaster or crisis recovery, which I feel is very relevant at this time. It got me thinking about how I might be able to identify problems here and now and try and make a difference. It really shifts the mindset I feel like from reactive fear to proactive faith, which is incredibly refreshing. On Saturday we got started building garden boxes and we have 1 down, and 1 to go! That was really exciting and we are eager to get that figured out in the coming weeks. We also built a huge fort in the living room and that was really fun. We had surprise snow mid-week and the kids had a blast playing in that before it melted all away. We had Kassie's sister Rachelle over for dinner and a movie Friday night for a final visit before she moved to Oregon on Saturday.
The governor of Utah has issued a stay home directive which is basically what we were already doing, though clarifies we shouldn't visit family or go to the playground. So that expedited our desire to get the garden boxes up as that will be something we can do in the coming weeks. The kids continue to do surprisingly well given the constraints of our daily lives. Hinckley is often trying to stand on his head as he was inspired by Logan a few weeks ago. He has read and read and read, sometimes even reading to Addie which is a true delight to behold. We set up some typing games and programs as this seems like a good opportunity to learn more typing and such. He is continuing his music class via video chat which seems to be working ok. Addie also got a set of videos this week from her dance teacher and loves to watch those and follow along. Greyson is eager to participate too which is hilarious and cute. All three kids utilize the backyard space quite a bit and we are so grateful to have that little playground space in our backyard so they have something to run around on. Greyson gets "scared" quite a lot, often saying "I scary" and "Creatures coming!" He also has started quoting one of his favorite books "Trashy Town" quite regularly, as well as "Boom Chicka Boom" which has us all laughing. Addie has started wearing a different princess dress to bed each night and she also has started refusing just about everything for breakfast.
It is a unique time to be sure and hope to continue forward with faith. Weave announced they are suspending some perks and things, but no job cuts have been announced and there is a hope that it won't come to that. We are grateful for what we have and the circumstances we've found ourselves in despite some of the inconvenience, things could be so much worse.
March 22, 2020
The first week of everyone at home all the time went relatively well. I've been able to work in my new "office" in our closet without much trouble, and the kids started doing their school work packets with Kassie's guidance and leadership. They seem to be enjoying it all for the most part, and have been playing pretty well together and utilizing the backyard quite a bit. On St Pat's day we had our traditional visit from the Leprechaun who left a trail of string and chocolate coins to the final hidden "treasure" which was a set of Roal Dahl books. The earthquake this week was quite a surprise, and Hinckley apparently was woken up by it. None of the kids seemed concerned about it...so that was a blessing. Overall they don't seem too anxious or stressed about all this going on.
Hinckley has been reading like crazy again and has already plowed through the pile of library books Kassie got in a last effort before they closed it down. If that doesn't open soon we may need to start a book exchange online with neighbors or something. Addie's Frozen 2 dress came this week of which she earned over the last month or so doing her chores and other things. She was beyond excited about that! Greyson loves making messes and trying to do whatever his siblings are doing. He is adding new words to his vocabulary, and some common statements this week are: "Everything's going to be ok", "I love this one!" (holding a book), and "Daddy work?" He's chirping back almost everything we say and it is very cute and keeps us all laughing.
This Saturday we did a ton of work around the house, including painting and putting new handles/hardware on the front door. It looks really good! We went on many walks and had many talks about this unique situation. Tis truly an interesting time to be alive.
March 15, 2020
It has been a strange week for sure, but we are adjusting like everyone else. We began the week with Kas and the kids coming to visit me at work to eat snacks and such that they have there, and I'm glad they did since we won't have that option for the foreseeable future. On Thursday they announced we would be work from home for at least the next 3 weeks. The kids are a little nervous about things but also excited about having me home and having all their extracurricular activities canceled. It is going to be interesting for sure.
All except Hinckley have some stage and version of a cold, hopefully that gets on the mend soon. I had fun taking the kids up to Aspen Grove to play in the snow on Saturday which was great for a bit. Our thoughts and prayers are with you in these crazy times.
March 8, 2020
The defining event this week was a first-ever cousin sleepover with the Kays of which our kids enjoyed to the max. There was pizza, Lego StarWars, park visits, hide and seek, and late bedtimes all around. Jack stayed the night and didn't make a peep, and everyone appeared to have a wonderful time. Greyson is now constantly asking "Where's Logan? Where's Sadie? Where's Jack?"
I had an offsite for work up near Midway at the Zermatt resort for a day, and it all seemed to go pretty well. I had the owner of Improv Broadway come up to lead our team in some activities that everyone enjoyed and I think was relevant to some of the training elements we have. When I got home from that I went with Hinckley to observe his Let's Play Music class. He says he loves the piano but dislikes the class, and that was quite apparent in my visit.
The kids had successful dentist visits this week, though for Greyson it was akin to visiting a torture chamber based on the report of his screams and thrashings. Such is the age it seems. It is warming up and the kids spend increasingly more time outside which is such a blessing for everyone. We worked some more on the yard on Saturday and are working through what we want to try and do to it this year - there is so much to be done it is difficult to know where to start!
All in all, we are healthy and happy and grateful for the tremendous blessings we have.
March 1, 2020
We had an eventful week and there were some pockets of sunshine we are beginning to enjoy. Last Sunday there was a miracle of some kind and all three kids sat remarkably quiet and calm for ALL 2 hours of Stake Conference. What a blessing! It was amazing, and I can't overstate how wonderful it was. Hinckley and I were able to ride bikes down to a really neat trail by the lake and it was just so gorgeous. I'm looking forward to doing some more of that. We also did some fun "kids on dad's feet" time and they have their favorite moves on my feet now ("Whoopsy Daisy" for Addie and "Tall Man" for Hinckley). That never gets old, and the "Daaaah da da da dahhhh" song continues to another generation :)
A big event this week was Hinckley had an altercation with a kid at the park that involved both of them hitting one another (the older boy had brought a wooden sword to play with...). It was a big experience in learning how to forgive others and himself, it was as he said, "the hardest thing I've ever done". He and I went over to the kids' house and presented a written apology and when H saw him at school a day or so later everything was back to normal. It was actually quite a moving experience and one I learned from and felt the Spirit during the whole aftermath. H also redeemed some "job points" he's been saving for more than a month to get a Perplexus puzzle toy which he has become obsessed with. It is pretty fun! We also watched Star Wars IV (the original and first) with Hinckley which he relished ever laser/robot/alien filled second of.
Addie had a fun playdate with a girl in the ward this week and they tried on every piece of clothing available and had a great time imagining things together. She is getting bolder on her balance bike and I think she is about ready to get her training wheels removed and make a go a regular bike soon...we'll see if she wants that though. She loves to wake up earlier than everyone else and come down and hang out with me for a few minutes before breakfast. The pink blackout curtains we got for her this week sort of helped, maybe added 5 minutes to her sleep time? Feeling nervous about spring/summer when we have more daylight. She also continues to try and care for Greyson. The other day they were trying to talk about their taste buds at dinner. Greyson couldn't say it quite right, and Addie corrected him, "No Greyson it is Taste Bug" haha. She and I had a really fun date to Micheal's Craft, they have those just about every Saturday, and then we got some Frozen Yoghurt too which she declared is better than cookies.
Greyson had fun going with Kassie to Addie's preschool field trip to Macey's grocery store. His passion for cars and trucks remains high, as well as looking at books and searching for treats/candy at any spare moment. He loves going down the slide at the park and his big smile is enough a reward to keep sending him again and again. He did great at his doctor's appointment and seems to be doing well in all regards. We are so grateful.
Kassie and I enjoyed a Lehi Library benefit concert put on by Jenny Oaks Baker and 3 of her children on Saturday night. The music was fantastic, and I reflected on how I think some of the ways I hear the voice of Christ is through music and the beauty of art and the natural world. I feel His love and depth so quickly and poignantly with these things I realize I need to find ways to get more of that in my life.
Random Thought:
In Sunday School today the teacher shared Elder Bednar's quote from his talk about Cheetahs and how Satan works to get us, to go along with 2 Ne 26. As Nephi shares, we often become lax or unconvinced of consequences. Something Kassie and I discussed though is sometimes we can be too concerned about whether we are not doing/being/working enough and this itself can become a distraction. We are that we might have Joy, so while we do need to be vigilant and wary all the time, I don't think God wants us to be stressed out and feeling terrible. The question then in my mind is how can I become "anxiously engaged in a good cause" without becoming overly anxious? Jacob was anxious for the welfare of his people, and clearly feeling a level of that is expected. But I have a hard time thinking God wants us wringing our hands concern all the time feeling like we are too relaxed and shouldn't be allowed to take care of ourselves sometimes. It is an important balance and like the Cheetahs from Elder Bednar's talk, if one can't get us, then another Cheetah will start in. The key to me is to "get the Spirit" and ensure I have time in my day to reflect on my choices and open my mind and heart to what I lack. If I am honest with myself, with God, and those around me then I can move forward with an accurate understanding of how I am spending my time and energy. This is not easy! And it can become easy to get off balance.
February 23, 2020
Kassie's Mom stayed a few more days this week and her sister Liana came for one night en route to Las Vegas for a convention. We played some games including Headbands and a cooperative board game called Pandemic which Kassie got for her birthday.
Beyond that, we did the regular blend of activities, school, chores, family time, and sleep that makes up most of our regular weeks. Saturday Hinckley went with Kassie to Build-a-Bear for his "experience gift" from Christmas and recorded his own song to be installed in Olaf. He was most excited about "tiny", a small mini snowman that was an accessory to Olaf. He has a real affinity for small stuffed items.
The kids were able to go to the park a couple of times this week as it wasn't too cold on Saturday. I even pulled a few weeds in the back yard as we are thinking about what we want to do to the yard this spring/summer to begin shaping it up a bit. Addie and Greyson had lots of fun running around and hurtling a small wood block they found as I worked.
Kas and I enjoyed the adult session of Stake Conference while Elder and Sister Williams watched the kids. Each kid was excited to show off various tricks and moves for them, and we enjoyed hearing about their MTC experience this week.
February 19, 2020
Last week we had a fun Valentines day with the traditional "Valentines Kicker" (me banging the door and running away leaving treats for the kids). Kassie's birthday went well too, so fun to have family close to come to things like that, and it was special to see Ma and Pa get set apart as missionaries. It was fun to have Kassie's parents here and we did some house projects with their help, including a big trip to the dump in getting a bunch of stuff the previous owners had left here. Hinckley was in heaven at the dump and very excited to help with everything.
Lately, Greyson has been saying "Whose this?" when he sees anything he isn't sure about. He also continually says "sorry!" at everything and seems to really be understanding things and verbalizing his thoughts in amazing ways. He's loved having Grandma and GrandDad here, as well as Schnitzel (their dog). He spends the bulk of his time playing with cars.
Addie has begun making regular visits to the backyard in which she steps into a land of make-belief and imagination. Very much like what the Blair girls once did, we'll spot her wandering the backyard in her coat and dirty pink snow pants singing or quietly talking to herself. She has slowly eliminated all breakfast options and now will only eat "frog in a hole" or berries/nuts. That is it. She continues to love Frozen. She and I made a little movie together about Elsa grocery shopping.
Hinckley went to a birthday party on Saturday and had a blast bowling and playing Laser tag. He went on and on about it and drew some pretty fun pictures of his Laser tag battle. Indeed we made a movie about it that has no plot but includes a hilarious side event from Addie. Check it out here. On President's day we went to Nickle City in Orem and played a bunch of those games and then did family Laser tag. It was so fun! I got a little carried away and abandoned Addie in my haste to score points...fortunately Kassie was thoughtful and stayed by Addie throughout the game. We were all a little sweaty at the end and had a great time!
February 10, 2020
This week we had a historic snow day on Monday. Much to the delight of Hinckley and Addie school was canceled for the first time in over 20 years in the Alpine School District...and remarkably there actually wasn't much snow. However, they enjoyed running around and playing for much of the day. I reacquainted myself with the art of snow shoveling and found it to be a good hearty replacement for morning exercise. Kassie and family threw a great Birthday gathering for me on Friday. We had curry tofu breakfast burritos and eclair cake - so good! I appreciate the notes and calls, it was a great day.
Hinckley started gymnastics this week and seems to enjoy it, especially when Logan was able to show him a few different routines and H could practice with him. The kids also had a few playdates this week, so we are hopeful that they will continue to make some good friendships with kids in the area (there are many). Greyson got really excited on my birthday and acted as the event usher by always demanding the next thing (Cake! Presents! Happy Birthday to you?!). With Kassie's birthday being this week we are curious if Greyson is thinking there is a new weekend tradition of having birthday parties haha.
Saturday we went to BYU and attended a remarkable family Folk concert with Nana. I loved hearing the bell tower bong out 12 strokes and having the kids learn all about that. The kids enjoyed it mostly, and Hinckley really got into it - snapping his fingers and waving his arms like he was in the midst of Woodstock or something. It was pretty hilarious and joyful! That afternoon I took the kids to a family fun center in Lehi where we bowled and they loved it. It is o fun to go to some of these things that they can sort of do on their own. Greyson soon caught on and was always asking "My turn!?" as he pushed the ball down one of those kid ramp things. Hinckley got excited and accidentally hurtled the ball into the other lane gutter. I had to continually tell myself that he wouldn't break his toes or fingers as he threw the ball down with all he could muster.
February 2, 2020
We had some more fun this week seeing Rach and George and the Kay children which are kids loved. They sure have some great cousins!
In the home improvement area, we've made some headway by installing some blinds and Kassie did some caulking as well. I've decided that installing blinds is one of those unique tasks that deserve to be placed in the pantheon of pain, as it proved to bring me more in tune with my own human foibles and lack of patience than traditional activities. There it now stands, somewhere next to watching helplessly as my children hurt each other in Sacrament meeting and changing diapers of sobbing babies on gas station bathroom floors. That said, I'm deeply grateful that these are the kind of things in my pantheon rather than what some folks have been required to go through in this life.
Painters are coming Tuesday to update some of the main rooms. Still a good amount of work to do, but we are taking the long view.
Hinckley is enjoying school now and apparently all is well there, it will be good to meet his teacher at the parent night this week. He is doing better at music class and is starting gymnastics at the Lehi rec center this week - hopefully that helps with some of his high levels of energy. When we went to the pool on Saturday he had a blast going down the large slide and exploring all the water attractions. I went a few times and it was awesome!
Addie (and Greyson too) really didn't seem to enjoy the water. They were both terrified, though it may have been the loud noises all around. We are hopeful that through repeated visits they will get more comfortable with it and that this exposure therapy will pay off. Addie is enjoying her dance and preschool. She had a fire station field trip and insisted that Kassie come too. Greyson was probably the most excited about the arrangement!
Greyson is now a lively 2-year-old, constantly repeating back the words he hears. He continues to give lots of hugs before bedtime and obsesses over trucks and cars. Addie's fits and scream volumes can only be matched by Greyson. One child's sour mood or frustration usually results in a scream that sets off a chain reaction of brain-melting noise, with the deathly feedback loop in which one scream results in the other kid shrieking which then, in turn, sets off the original kid which then ignites the other which then goes on and on. It is amazing that one peevish grin from Hinckley to Addie is all the kindling needed to begin this series of explosions. I'm working hard at not joining in!
Work is picking up and I'm enjoying learning more about how the company works and where I can have an impact.
January 26, 2020
We’ve been working on how to help the kids with many things, not going berserk, limiting screen time, and more. Basically trying to teach them to be more self-sufficient, kind, and thoughtful. I discovered an app that lets you assign points to different things, and then offer prizes and so forth that are worth a number of points. I’m pretty excited about it and hope that maybe a version of this will work for the kids. We’ve tried pretty much everything else, and maybe since it is on an app it won’t be as tricky as some of the other systems we’ve used in the past. So far they've done AMAZING when we've offered "reverent points" which has dramatically cut down the violence and turmoil during prayers and scripture time. I'm feeling optimistic.
Things at work have started picking up which is exciting. Each day I am reminded by how much smaller this company is and so I've been working on establishing some relationships with the different departments and observing the different work that employees do so that can inform the learning programs I'll likely be building over the next few months. There is a lot of energy and not a lot of process or structure which is both exciting and a little surprising at times. 1 week in and the job has been what I was expecting when I was hired, which is a good thing!
Hinckley and I had a blast up at Sundance on the tow rope. Down in the valley was a dark and thick fog, but as we drove up the canyon we came out of the fog and into the brilliant blue, with the white peaks of Timp jutting out into the sky. It was glorious. Hinckley learned to grab the tow rope himself and get off himself, and then he learned how to turn, stop, and get up off the ground when he fell. It was so much better than last year! And I am not even sore today (I was essentially incapacitated last year). It is truly amazing to watch your kids develop and become self-sufficient at a thing. I found the more I kept my mouth shut the better and faster he would learn most of what I was itching to coach him on, with a few minor exceptions.
Addie and Greyson were very sick this week, awful coughs and scary-sounding congestion. We were a bit worried, but it turned out it was apparently just a bad cold or something and it has worn off in time for Greyson's 2-year-old birthday on Sunday! Addie was able to go to school Friday as well and it is just SO nice to have healthy kids again. We were able to meet up with Rach, George, the Kay children, and Jane/Wade Sanner family at a Chinese New Year event in Lehi on Saturday night and the kids had tons of fun watching shadow puppets, making crafts, and - in Greyson's case - walking up and down the stairs.
It is hard to believe Greyson is already 2 years old! He has lately started saying "Sorry!" whenever someone sounds sad or angry, and he has really taken to playing with cars/trucks quietly for remarkably long stretches of time by himself (a true blessing). However, that doesn't mean he has long periods of requiring to be held and coddled (especially when sick). We love that boy and are grateful he is in our family!
January 19, 2020
This week we started school for Hinckley and Addie, and I began working at Weave. You can learn a little more about what Weave is and does here at their website, the short of it though is that they make software to help small businesses (usually dental, optometrist, and medical offices for now) better communicate and manage patient conversations and scheduling. The people there seem very kind and nice and I am looking forward to working there!
Hinckley was very happy with his first 2 days back at school, he was a bit nervous about all the "big kids" as this school goes from K-6 whereas his last was K-2. He was in awe of the large playground and how the whole school is big and all indoors! (no more walking outside for long distances in the heat to the cafeteria from his classroom). He has been helpful in assisting me on some of the "projects"t I've embarked on in fixing some things around the house, raking leaves, and his all-time favorite - going down in the crawl space. In fact, he has become obsessed with the crawl space. There is a small "trap door" under the stairs that leads to it and he was overjoyed to show Logan, Sadie, Nana & Grandpa, and Abi and Brian the space. He said his dream is to have a party down there. He has been sleeping blessedly late and we are just SO happy he doesn't go to school until about 9:00! That is a full 2.5 hours later than his school in AZ started.
Addie loves her "cozy" room that she shares with Greyson and had no problem going to her new preschool. She has really enjoyed it despite the fact there are only 2 girls in her class instead of the entire class being girls. Regardless, she showed no signs of anxiety or worry about going and that has been much smoother than we expected. She and Kassie went to Build-a-Bear for Addie's Christmas "Experience Gift" on Saturday and she, of course, opted to build an Elsa bear. She loves it and it is very cute how she coos and cares for her stuffed animals and babies which are all carefully placed around her bed in varying states of rest.
Greyson continues to grow his vocabulary including "Sorry!" and "Fix it!" He has really taken to playing with cares in our front playroom by himself lately, which is amazing. He developed a game with Hinckley he calls "Catch" which means he throws a ball down the stairs and into the playroom and then has to go and find it before repeating the activity. It is very cute to watch. He also has developed a love for slides, and can now climb upstairs and go down slides on his own which makes park visits so much more enjoyable. He loves to steal his siblings' toothbrushes and enjoys teasing and making mayhem when he can - you can always tell he is up to no good by his "grinch grin" and "grinchy run" which we've all come to recognize quickly.
We are feeling so blessed and happy with being here in Lehi. The house has some fixer-upper items, but all in all, we are very glad to be here close to M&D and the Kays. We had a wonderful time at the Butterfly atrium area in Thanksgiving Point on Saturday and the kids had a blast running around seeing everything and being with cousins. We are so grateful to be back in Utah Valley!
January 14, 2020
We made it successfully to Lehi and are quite setup here now thanks to Noami (Kassie's mom), Brian, and many good folks in the area. The kids start school tomorrow (Wednesday) and we are getting back into a routine after nearly a month of disruption, so that will be good. The kids seem to like the new home and are excited to be here close to the Kays and Nana and Grandpa. Hinckley was dismayed that we didn't get much snow compared to Provo, but he is overall still happy. We've had a lot of tender mercies and are grateful for all we have.
January 6, 2020
We are coming down to the wire as we move out this week. We rang in the new year with some root beer floats and banging pots and pans at 8:00 pm, haha. The kids got a pretty big kick out of that. We've had some beautiful days and will certainly miss the winters here. The kids have enjoyed going for long walks and Hinckley loves zooming around on his new Razor scooter. Unfortunately, Kassie came down with what we discovered as the flu on new year's day so I spent most of that day and the following going out with the kids and she made a remarkable recovery (still on the mend but just about there).
Hinckley is super excited about moving, it seems he thinks all will be made perfect after the move. He was extremely excited to get packing his things and we had to convince him to hold off since he will need access to many of the things before we leave. He read "Wayside Stories" and we are happy to see him reading again, there are few things I enjoy more than seeing him chuckling and soaking in a good book. He and I had a great Sunday yesterday (Addie had a form of the flu by then) and we both bore our testimonies and he also got to be in the room while I helped the Elders bless a visiting non-member and hear them testify as they gave the man a Book of Mormon.
Addie, as mentioned, got the sickness next. We are all hoping it stops there. She has been more reluctant about the move, and is sad to be leaving her preschool and friends there (all girls in that class). However, she is excited about a new home and Hinckley's excitement really rubs off on her at times, when he isn't physically hurting her that is. She continues to love playing make-believe games at all possible moments, including requests that we play remotely while I'm at work. "Can we play Frozen 2 while you are at work? I'll be Elsa, you be Christoff, ok?" It is very cute.
Greyson grows bolder in his cuteness and mischievousness. His love of cactus has now been matched by "hot fire" and "diggers" and as he sees those he about has a seizure of excitement. He also has begun doing really cute little dances when he hears music at times, including once he climbed all the way up to the top of the table and stood for a dance. His passion for these things is drowned out by his weakness for sweets, and if someone says "candy" or "cookie" then all heck breaks loose. He discovered the marble track Hinckley got last year and has been obsessed with putting marbles in and watching them go down the different levels. Whenever a piece falls or comes apart he turns into a demon and requires "fix it!" from anyone unfortunate enough to be caught nearby at the time. He continues to give multiple hugs now to everyone as a part of the end of day routine, often interrupting his story to go out and administer loving "Huuug!?"(s) it is terribly cute.
Signing off the last entry from Sahuarita! Here's to good weather and successful transitions. Happy new year all!
December 29, 2019
We had a Merry Christmas this week and enjoyed a 2 day trip to Pheonix to visit Dan and Sam Burnside and their two kids, and then to Granny and Grandpa's home. We (H, A and me) slept under the Christmas tree the night of the 23rd and the kids actually slept really well. Christmas Eve Hinckley went with me to the DMV to get temporary registration for the van which was successful and I took him and Addie to Intuit for some hot chocolate from the special machine there that they love. We did a very brief acting out of the nativity and sang a song or two. Christmas morning brought lots of excitement and then strong feelings about Mom and Dad setting everything up and making it all work. Quite exhausting! But overall they were all quite happy.
Hinckley managed to play with his stuff with the same energy he approaches all things he loves which led to some new toys breaking (boo). Addie was delighted with her new doll and kept saying how cute it was. Greyson gloried in a new digger, a monster truck track, and one of his repeat library books about "things that go" which we finally purchased.
Seeing Dan and Sam and their kids was a fun way to end Christmas day. The kids played and watched Hinckley's new favorite movie Nightmare Before Christmas and we all got some sleep that night despite the excitement and sugar overload. We had fun visiting Granny and Grandpa on the 26th - the kids found their favorite toys and discovered a few new ones. We enjoyed eating dinner at Sweet Tomatoes and a cozy rest in the famous bunk bedroom. Now we are back home and revving up the packing/moving engines as we now have less than 2 weeks till moving day.
December 22, 2019
Merry Christmas! The leaves have turned a beautiful hue, while most of the pecan grove leaves have finally fallen. We had a few "lasts" this week with Addie and Hinckley wrapping up school and enjoying some fun holiday parties. They both seem to be grappling with the impending changes, Hinckley especially is struggling and we are working through how to make this a less turbulent change than it may otherwise be. We had a fun family movie night watching Elf which the kids laughed throughout, and also went up to the lights at Winter Haven Light Festival - a neighborhood in Tucson with street names like "Christmas" and "Treat street". There was something there for each kid, including a cactus themed house with lights and blow up objects all designed as cactuses. Greyson began a new phrase he likes to chant, "What the heck Cactus?" ....
Last week we made another installment of Williams Kids movies that after much debate was named "The Netherworld vs Baby" and we've begun saying goodbye to people in the ward though we still have 2 more Sundays here. We had an inspection done on the home we have an offer on and there are a few things we were concerned about so we're hoping the sellers will get those fixed and are waiting back to hear from them if they will accept our offer addendum on that.
December 15, 2019
The week started with my taking a day trip to Las Vegas to pick up a Kia Sedona that is nearly the exact same that we had before the accident, and I made it safely there and back again. It feels good to have that all settled. The next day we came to an agreement with the sellers of the home we put an offer on so that is moving forward and we are feeling good about it thus far.
On Friday night we went to the local "Nativity Quest" in Racho Sahuarita, which is a neat concept where we pick up a CD and instructions from the clubhouse and then drive to different home locations throughout the area where they have an open garage with a scene from the Bible set up complete with actors. You stay in your vehicle while the CD has a Christian pastor talking about the story and some good lessons. They also give you hot chocolate and apple cider to sip while you drive around. Addie just loved it and commented on it many times. We all had fun.
Saturday I took the kids to the Children's Museum and Hinckley showed me his favorite area where they have scrap wood, hammers, nails, and other objects where kids can build whatever they want. He loves it!
All three kids are now at varying stages of sickness, so we'll see how Sunday goes (writing this Sun morning). Everyone is still feeling excited about the move and we are kicking into logistics mode now that it seems we have the house picked and everything like that. Exciting season!
December 8, 2019
Thanks all for the support and good wishes as we are working through the facts of change. We put an offer on a home today and are curious to see if it gets accepted in the next day (in South Lehi). I broke the news to my manager and a few others and everyone has been very supportive and kind about it, so that feels good. I head to Vegas tomorrow (Monday) to drop off the rental car and pick up a new Kia Sedona, so hope that all goes down well.
Hinckley is very excited about the idea of moving to Utah because there is snow there. Addie is also excited about it because she can watch her tablet on the drive up there. Greyson doesn't understand anything about it, but honestly as long as he gets sleep and food and has trucks to play with he is happy as can be. All in all, we are very excited and a little nervous as we begin working through the details and working on a list of "lasts" before we leave. Right now we are aiming to move after the first week of January or so.
We had a great Grinched themed Ward Christmas party, and then Kassie and I enjoyed our last Intuit Holiday party which was Roaring 20's themed. Hinckley and I had some fun frisbee tossing at the park and Addie and Greyson have been enjoying hours on the back patio. Our orange tree is beginning to weigh down with fruit and Christmas and perfect weather are in the air.
December 1, 2019
What a week we had! We saw some homes in Boise and feel really good about one of them. That said, while we were in Boise I was contacted by Weave (a company in Lehi) and they wanted me to come in for a final interview and "meet the team". I had previously written them off as not being interested and so we had moved forward with the idea of staying with Intuit. So on Wednesday when we were in Utah I met with them and they gave me a verbal offer, but the details aren't clear yet so we aren't sure yet if we should take it. That should come Monday or Tuesday.
As we drove down from Boise to Provo we got to South Jordan and then the cars stopped quickly in our lane and I slammed on the breaks, just in time to avoid hitting the car in front...but the folks behind us didn't. We were hit quite hard from the back and smashed into the car in front of us which in turn hit the car in front of them. The 4 car pile-up was rattling for all of us, but everyone was ok. Dad came in Abi's van to take us home and the tow truck took our van to the tow yard where it still waits for evaluation from GEICO. We had so many tender mercies with this (including the fact that we've been paying for insurance for many years) and were so glad all were safe. We got a rental van the next day and had to drive that home to AZ Sunday as it is still uncertain about the state of our van.
It was wonderful to be in Provo for Thanksgiving, and the kids had a blast with the Kay cousins, Nana and Grandpa, and all the snow. It was a surprise but led to lots of hours of fun and energy-burning which was amazing. We had a great time going ice skating, watching Frozen 2 at the Scera (with Grandpa H and some Sorensons), and seeing the Riverwood shop lights. Greyson loved all the "hot fire" and jabbered nonstop at seeing that everywhere. Sadie was his little friend throughout our visit and it was very cute. She and Addie also had some fun playtime. Hinckley and Logan did lots of origami and snow building things, including taking all sorts of boxes outside and building them up into towers and then filing them with snow (a real refrigerator!). After getting that news from Weave (the Utah company) Kassie and I decided to do some house hunting in the valley as well just in case we decided to take the job when the offer comes. So...we'll see this week what the verdict is I hope.
November 17, 2019
We had the primary program today (Sunday) which was quite the event and went well. Our neighbors took action on the invitation the kids brought them and came! They are an elderly couple who often dote on the kids and who have been very kind. Addie was a little nervous and had some tears and a few visits back down to our bench from off the stand, but she was able to make it to the pulpit for her portion with the help of a small stuffed animal. Hinckley did his part well and it was fun to see them up there with the massive primary. Greyson was more still in that sacrament meeting than all the Sundays in the last 8 months. Tender mercies.
Hinckley and I had our last basketball game with the Ninja Dunkmasters on Saturday. Yay! He learned a lot and really grew in skill, but it will be so nice to have a break (for me at least). It was a good season, despite the very scattered organization who runs the league. Hinckley decided to cut his own hair this week while Kassie was at a RS event and I was putting Greyson to sleep. So he got a great buzz the next day, ha ha ha. He continues to have his nose glued into the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books which is both wonderful and frustrating (can you HEAR ME HINCKLEY?!?!). He told me this evening he was a Tuxedo for Christmas because then maybe the girls at school might actually like him. Not sure where that thought/comment came from. Mostly he is excited about Pokemon, riding his bike, and a multitude of other things.
Addie loves school and dance, and continues to enjoy imaginary games. She loves playing with her brothers, and if they aren't interested, she enjoys pushing them to madness. She and I play a lot of "Harry Potter" still, mixed with ponies and other things too. She's been enjoying the nicer weather and often goes out in the back to play and sing (reminds me of what Lauren and Sophie Blair used to do at different times of their lives). We had the missionaries over this week and she was very sweet up till she wasn't :)
Greyson had two big events in his life this week. Event number one was he witnessed a digger wrecking the concrete bottom of the Clubhouse swimming pool (they've been "fixing" that for the last year now). He continues to tell us the story of the concrete falling from the digger's claw by saying things like "Con-creete!" "Digger!" "Fall" and "Digger Sad". Over and over again. The second event was the infamous backyard cactus was removed by the yard crew as it was deemed diseased or something. Greyson watched in awe and a flurry of "CACTUSS" exclamations. He now wanders tha backyard saying "Cactus?" in a state of denial or relief (unsure which). We decided to get the Christmas tree set up as we will be out of town for Thanksgiving and would rather it be up when we get back than do it later. Greyson thought it was a new Halloween decoration and continued to shout "Hall-ween!" "Ghosty" and "Cactus" while pointing at the tree. We sort of hope he will think the tree is a cactus so he won't grab the decorations. Other sweet things he has started to say include "Come eere!" (come hear) and "Help you" for whenever he needs help OR wants to help.
November 10, 2019
The week zoomed by despite some sickness. Work has been a little crazy lately as we get ready for Tax season in January and need to train tons of agents. Some of you knew about me interviewing with a Utah company which looked promising but after a few interviews they gave me the "we'll contact you some time" line which is hard not to believe means "not interested in hiring you at this time". There may be a chance still but feels really slim.
We are rejoicing in the cooler weather (the mid to high 80s!) and it has been so nice to be able to go to the park and walk again and not feel trapped inside. Greyson basically lives outside it seems. He has been sick with a fever this week and dried up nasal cavity, waking a few mornings with blood everywhere from his nose. It can be a scary thing to see! Lately has started singing a little bit which is very cute, and he loves giving hugs and getting attention from his older siblings.
Addie also was sick this week and had to miss some PreK, but she seems to be on the mend. She has really latched onto the idea now of playing "Harry Potter" with her as Harry, me as Ron, and Greyson as Dudley (hahaha). At the park, on Sunday she found a stick and was using "spells" to help Hinckley and I pass the frisbee to one another. Thanks to her witchcraft we had up to 10 successful passes and catches!
Hinckley continues to develop his mechanical inclinations. He is constantly on the lookout for things to add to his "engineering box" (a box of essentially odds and ends that he can tape or glue together to create things). He was very disappointed that we couldn't find a way to connect the training wheels from his bike to his own legs. He had a rough start to his basketball game, but in the end, had lots of fun and the team passed really well! Only one more practice and game and the season are over. Phew. He and I also had a fun date hiking to the top of A mountain and exploring the A for a bit before going to Coldstone.
October 27, 2019
Cheers from London! Kassie and I have had a wonderful trip thus far and are so grateful for Mom and Dad being able and willing to watch our kids with us gone. We've been able to hit all the key sites (and events) we wanted to and are heading on our final day tomorrow (Monday) out to Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle before getting on the plane Tuesday morning. We had a very fun and brief visit to Derek's place in Cambridge and he gave us the flash tour of some of the grounds there. Walking around on that campus made one feel like a cross between Harry Potter and Steven Hawking. From what we can tell, the kids have been doing well in AZ. We are excited to see them again in time for Halloween and look forward to that reunion.
October 20, 2019
It has been a very full week it feels like. Hinckley got an award at school for being an awesome student, we had parent-teacher conference where we learned some more about that, Kassie took the kids swimming and I took our van to the dealership to make a repair on our automatic door (ouch!), and more. One memorable event was our family pictures. We ventured out in the desert, going for a southwest theme. We forgot about Greyson and his obsession/phobia of cactus and that was all you could see for what felt like miles around! So we'll see if any picture actually turns out because he was looking everywhere but the camera.
This weekend Hinckley helped me at a move before going on a date with Kas to The Adams Family which he loved thanks to the monsters and other "creepy" things. Our neighborhood has some pretty intense decorations that he finds amazing. Either people decorate way more these days...or our neighborhood has some very unique people. Maybe both? We also attempted going to the Tucson Symphony for kids event but had to leave early due to behavior issues... boo. We ended Saturday with attending the Sahuarita Stake 10th anniversary picnic celebration. The kids ate brownies (Addie), snowcones (Hinckley), and meatballs (Greyson) so at least for them it was a successful dinner.
Hinckley's basketball game was a little different this week as no referee showed up or other team...so we played Dad's against kids and everyone had a really good time. I'm glad there are lots of supportive parents on our team! Hinck is liking basketball a little more now and his attitude and shooting ability have really improved.
Addie gave a good talk in Primary, she spoke with her regular strong volume and even added "once upon a time" before sharing her story about praying and feeling peace after a bad dream. She is very loving, and very passionate in her feelings. She continues to wake up too early and push her (and all of our) limits.
Greyson loves books. We will find him often sitting up in H/A's room turning through the chapter books. He was very excited to find Hinckley's lego book this week and was going crazy over the pictures of trucks and tractors in there. He loves to give "knuckles" and hugs/kisses, and is obsessed with being outside.
Mom and Dad arrive this evening (Sunday) and Kassie and I head for the old country on Tuesday morning. We're pretty excited and nervous!
October 13, 2019
We wrapped up Fall Break this week, which was done in the form of a staycation. Activities included attending the pumpkin patch, Children’s Museum, and the Desert Museum along with more trips to the pool, crafting, friend visits, and lots of reading.
Hinckley has basically learned to ride his bike this week! I took him first to the church parking lot and took off his peddles, and after a while put them back on and in almost a few minutes he was riding all by himself. I’m kicking myself for working at it all wrong! He could have learned this 2 years ago if we gave him a smaller bike and if I never held his seat but just held his back (lets him feel the weight of the bike and the shifting balance). I think this concept of the parent holding directly to the child rather than the bike seat itself has some good implications for parenting metaphors. It is best to support a child, but directly and lovingly and let them feel the turns and imbalances of their decisions - and be there to catch them if they totally tank! Whereas holding directly to the seat limits their ability to learn the weight of the bike and is so rigid they can’t ever learn how to keep their own balance.
Hinckley had a double ear infection a week or two ago, and his ears seem to still be recovering. At times I feel like I'm talking to a deaf man, poor kid. Hopefully, they will heal soon. I'm starting to get a little concerned. He thrived on the extra hour of sleep each morning and he read multiple books and has just really come to love reading - makes me so happy!
Addie also did better on more sleep. She continues enjoying watching, copying, and teasing her brothers. She sings and comes up with wonderful stories and scenarios. Kassie told me about the kids' conversation in the car the other day. "On the way home from Costco, Hinckley said he wanted to 'sleep' so after two minutes he woke up laughing saying he had the best dream ever, Fish were falling from the sky along with chocolate muffins. Then Addie said, 'I had a dream too! Princesses were falling from the sky."
Hinckley has basically learned to ride his bike this week! I took him first to the church parking lot and took off his peddles, and after a while put them back on and in almost a few minutes he was riding all by himself. I’m kicking myself for working at it all wrong! He could have learned this 2 years ago if we gave him a smaller bike and if I never held his seat but just held his back (lets him feel the weight of the bike and the shifting balance). I think this concept of the parent holding directly to the child rather than the bike seat itself has some good implications for parenting metaphors. It is best to support a child, but directly and lovingly and let them feel the turns and imbalances of their decisions - and be there to catch them if they totally tank! Whereas holding directly to the seat limits their ability to learn the weight of the bike and is so rigid they can’t ever learn how to keep their own balance.
Hinckley had a double ear infection a week or two ago, and his ears seem to still be recovering. At times I feel like I'm talking to a deaf man, poor kid. Hopefully, they will heal soon. I'm starting to get a little concerned. He thrived on the extra hour of sleep each morning and he read multiple books and has just really come to love reading - makes me so happy!
Addie also did better on more sleep. She continues enjoying watching, copying, and teasing her brothers. She sings and comes up with wonderful stories and scenarios. Kassie told me about the kids' conversation in the car the other day. "On the way home from Costco, Hinckley said he wanted to 'sleep' so after two minutes he woke up laughing saying he had the best dream ever, Fish were falling from the sky along with chocolate muffins. Then Addie said, 'I had a dream too! Princesses were falling from the sky."
All the kids are VERY excited about Halloweeen (Hinckley's favorite holiday), and we've started taking family walks some evenings now the temperature has dropped from the 100s. Some of the people in our neighborhood have some very extravagant Halloween decorations which makes for an exciting evening walk for sure. Greyson is especially excited about it and is often heard muttering "Pumpkins?" and "Hallweennaa" between "cactus" and "ouch" and "hurts". He also will randomly say with great gusto, "GHOSTIES" and give us a worried face. Hinckley told Addie that the house was haunted...so it has taken lots of coaxing to convince her that she can and must go into rooms on her own sometimes. Sigh. Greyson's vocabulary continues to expand as does his strength in will and stature (its a great workout in mind, body, and spirit to change that boys' poopy diapers).
October 6, 2019
Hard to believe we are entering fall break this week for the kids, but it is October and everyone is excited that the Halloween decorations are up and ghosts and other spooky things are beginning to appear on neighbor's porches and cactuses. We've added an additional spider to our front entry.
Hinckley had a day off of school this week due to a violent threat on social media. They closed all Sahuarita schools, and with the help of the FBI there was an arrest of some kid who was in Puerto Rico who had once been to one of the high schools here who had created an event on FaceBook to come shoot up the schools. Strange world we live in. He had his second basketball game is and is sort of liking it more. He continues to read like a maniac, often finishing his simplified chapter books in one sitting. He is quite the guy!
Addie and I went on the Princess Prance on Saturday. She wore her Elsa dress and we held hands while we ran around the Sahuarita lake (1 mile). She ran the whole way! She was very excited about it all, and loved seeing the other kids dresses and costumes. As we ran she would occasionally break into "Let it Go". Pretty cute! We made it back in time for the first session of conference. She has been pretty sick this week, mainly congestion and a mild fever. It seems to be going down but it was quite a terror for her and all of us for a bit there.
Greyson has also been sick this week, lots of boogies, and a few nights of difficult sleep. He continues loving his books and has generated little nicknames for many of them. "Thing" for Dr. Suess' "The Things You Can Think", "Doggie" for "Are You My Mother?" (image of a dog on the front), "Hair" for a library book about an Indian-themed Repunzel, and "Baby" for a different library book featuring babies playing and other stuff. As his reading exploration expands, his courage and ability to try new (or old) foods diminishes, unfortunately. All three kids seem to be on a strict diet of bread, milk, and anything with sugar available. We are doing our best to give them healthful options even if they don't eat. It can be difficult.
September 29, 2019
It was a full and different kind of week as I was out at Intuit headquarters near San Jose for a small business trip, had that job interview (haven't heard anything back), and took the two older kids camping up on Mount Lemmon. We also got to go see Hinckley's classroom as a part of the elementary school open house and it was fun to see his pictures, desk, and other things that make up his world away from home. Fortunately, he had recovered from a double ear infection by that time-poor guy. Hinckley's first basketball game was an exercise in patience and love on my part, as at this point it certainly doesn't seem to be his thing - but maybe with time, it will get better. He has completed his "responsibility" chart earning much more smiley faces than frowns so he is close to earning his fish...now he just needs to come up with the funds.
Addie continues to wake up early and get super cranky and rage against all of us and the world. She enjoys laying out her clothes (and Greyson's) in the morning on the floor calling it "making a girl" or in the case of Greyson's clothes "making a boy". She has also been very motherly of her dolls and stuffed animals by tucking them in next to her in bed and hefting them around the house to do chores and other things.
Greyson still goes on and on about cactuses and "ouch!" and enjoys looking at books for much longer than I would expect a youngster of his age. He was quite lonely when his two siblings and I went camping, often shouting for Hinckley and looking for Addie. But he had a great special time with Mom.
It was fun to take the two olders up to the church-owned Camp Zion on top of Mt Lemmon where we had a small cabin (cinder blocks and concrete floor) reserved. We successfully started a very smoky fire, explored the area, and even slept. They met some new friends who showed us the stage in the camp where Hinckley performed a puppet dancing routine with his "fluffy" (a small white stuffed pillow that he loves) and Addie sang "Let it go". Hinckley was so excited about it all he seemed at times to literally be having a seizure, jumping up and down, and struggling to voice his thoughts. Addie too was excited and kept pouring out loud dripping statements of joy such as "This is the BEST DAY EVER" and "I LOVE this DAD, this is SO FUN!". I'm glad it all worked out so well!
September 15, 2019
Yesterday we had fun going to the park where Hinckley could fly his kite while the other two played on the playground. We went to the Tucson Symphony for kids event which started up again for the fall season - "Emily and the Ghost Flute" which they really enjoyed! In the afternoon we went to get hot chocolate and trail mix at Intuit, along with some test walks on the treadmill and coloring on the whiteboards.
Greyson has started giving lots of hugs and kisses, and it is very cute when he waddles over to you for a parting embrace. He is excited that his words are gaining increasing understanding from us as communication is becoming a little easier and he often gets what he needs. Despite this, he often enjoys shrieking at pitches that defy reality only to laugh when we look at him in agony. Kassie and the kids created a little button out of clay for me to press when the screaming gets too loud - apparently, research says that something like a fake button can give one a sense of control in uncontrollable situations - hahaha. He is a wandering baby for sure, always climbing and pulling things out.
Speaking of screaming, Addie has entered a new (and hopefully very brief) phase of throwing oscar-worthy fits at just about everything. From suggestions of food for breakfast that historically she loved, to me talking in a regular voice about regular things, to Hinckley looking at her - it is quite remarkable how she throws herself into a frenzy. We are all working on being patient and loving and aiming to give her space to share what is on her mind. We think it boils down to the fact that she isn't getting enough sleep, but can't seem to figure out how to solve that puzzle. She got a new Elsa dress this week and has been eager to run around in that. Often she embodies multiple characters at one time, including this week I recall when we were doing our regular running back and forth routine before I left to work she was a "Ninja, super monster Frankenstein, Elsa, Lego princess."
Hinckley has been doing very well in being "responsible" and proving he can own a fish, lots of smiley faces on the chart hung on the fridge. He started basketball this week with me as the coach and the first practice went fairly well. There was lots of parental support so I am feeling like it will be ok hopefully. He got a buzz and was very excited to go to school the next day with his "new hair", and he continues to love organizing his Pokemon cards and discussing them with kids at the bus stop. He declared that he asked a girl from our ward and in his 1st-grade class to marry him, and she readily agreed. They have much in common he explained to me, including the fact that both of their names start with H and end with the sound "ee". Don't look for announcements any time soon! haha. He is doing so much better at home now that he is in full swing of school, and it feels he has matured a ton in just the last month or so.
I got my podcast listed in most podcast apps now (I think) including Apple, or you can check it out here! It is fun to build these out and am looking forward to creating more episodes moving forward.
September 8, 2019
Labor day we spent the morning rearranging the kids' room by taking down the bunk bed and adjusting things which they were very excited about. Kassie's parents were here so that made it all the better. We then rolled the piano Kassie found on Criagslist over from about 5 houses down the street and got that set up in less than 30 minutes, it was amazing! I've come full circle now, as I'd like time to practice the piano or at least play a few songs here and there but am finding it difficult to make the time. The irony isn't lost on me. We also enjoyed a last fling at the Clubhouse splash park and slides, Hinckely was able to show Grandma and GrandDad all the ways he likes to go down. Thunder and lightning brought the experience to the end prematurely, but luckily we had already been there about an hour or so.
Hinckley is full swing back into Pokemon and after working for some added cash he purchased some cards and has been very excited about them and all their details and powers. It is pretty cute to see him with those, and we got a book he can organize the cards in for easier pursual (and not scattering them all over the house). He and I went on a "super hero fun run" on Saturday, the first of its kind here in this community. He wanted to wear his ghost costume (a white sheet) from last year's Halloween so he could be a "super villan". It was a 2K run, and he did a great job! About half way he said to me while breathing hard and red in the face, "Why did we even choose to do this?!" which made me laugh since I've often asked myself that question in the midst of a workout. But by the end, he said he had lots of fun - and the Boston Creme donut might have helped. Next Month Addie and I will do a "Princess Prance" fun run, so we'll see how that goes.
Addie really could use more sleep each day, but always hops up when I come in to wake up Hinckley in the mornings for school. She can throw a pretty solid fit...but we still love her. She is under the impression that any time I am home it must be "daddy playtime" and it can be difficult to talk her down from these expectations while being sure to always refer to her properly as "Frankie" (From the show SuperMonsters) and/or a host of other characters she may be embodying at any given moment.
Greyson has started saying more words, often trying to repeat what we say. His new most common word is "Yeah!" which is a welcome relief to "No". It is very cute. He touched a cactus again somehow, and so he is still obsessed with pointing at every plant can calling it cactus and reacting with an "Ouch!" and he continually requires his water, stuffed animals, and now books in his crib in order to go to sleep. It is really cute to come in there in the morning and see him sitting in his crib looking at books. He has names for them such as "Baby!" for a board book with babies in it, and "Raar" for a dinosaur book. He passes out almost every night it feels like when it comes to brushing teeth, he isn't a fan. And lately, he does a TON of screaming, especially during dinner time in which he has been eating increasingly less these days. He is very sweet though and loving.
September 1, 2019
Things keep zooming along it seems. Hinckley discovered a new book series that has restored the flame of reading in him, its all about ghosts and monsters and Halloween sorts of things so it is perfect. He'll likely return to the Zombie Goldfish series when he is a little older. He gets so focused on his reading that it is like he is in a trance, there are very few respectable ways to break his concentration. Pretty fun and at times frustrating! He is also now set on getting his own fish, so we'll see if that pans out and if he can accomplish all the criteria we've laid out for him to make that happen and prove his own responsibility.
Addie continues to want to play imaginary worlds all the time, it has been "Super Monsters" lately, and she always wants to be "Frankie" and I am always "Frankie's Dad". She and I went on a little date, a hike to the top of A Mountain followed up by rainbow sherbet and mango smoothies at Baskin Robbins.
Greyson touched the cactus...again, despite the fact that whenever he sees any plant he yells "Cactus?! Ouch!" He continues to love cuddling his stuffed elephants and imitating the babies in his board books.
We did some yard work and picked up the blasted seedpods before it got too hot yesterday, and I had a good long set of Pickleball matches too. We are headed up to Goodyear (near PHX) for Dan and Sam's baby blessing and are thinking of Lu and Kendall with Baby Henry on this special blessing day.
August 25, 2019
I had a fun time with the kids on Saturday going to the children's museum in Tucson and then to the Clubhouse pool. Hinckley is finally and officially tall enough to go on those slides again, so he was up and down those for nearly 2 hours! It was a challenge to keep Greyson from running straight off the edge of the pool into the deep end where the water slides end up at. He was like a wind-up toy, moving in completely random directions at top speed as soon as his feet touched the concrete. We also had fun renting Detective Pikachu and eating Kettle Corn. The kids were talking about that nearly the whole day the next day.
A good moment this week is that Hinckely loved his music class, so this proclamation gives us hope that he wasn't permanently scarred from his end of year concert when he was weeping on stage for many minutes. He is also doing better at home by having a checklist of tasks to do after school before he can have 30 minutes of media time. That has been really helpful.
Addie is loving her dance class and has overcome any anxiety she had been experiencing with that before. She has been learning to ride the Frozen-themed bike she got for her birthday and building confidence a little at a time. Pre-school is a blast for her.
Greyson managed to not pass out at the Dentist though he certainly was upset. He continues to leave a wake of destruction wherever he goes, but he does it with a knowing smile and chirping words of sweet nothings. His love of trash continues unabated. In addition to his water bottle he now requires books and his massive stuffed elephant seat named Elbert (its like a huge stuffed animal, but built in a way that a little kid could sit on it sort of like a bean bag) to be with him when he goes to sleep most nights and for most naps.
I've decided to try out hosting a podcast as a way to learn and connect to new people, so this week I recorded my first episode with Rick West from the IP&T staff and that was pretty fun. Kassie is building me a small website to post episodes and I'm working on figuring out how to get the episodes up on iTunes store and other places. Pretty fun!
August 18, 2019
This week Kassie and I marked 8 years and Addie started up her second year at Preschool at a home-group around the corner (8 girls, no boys in the class!) She loves the activities and playthings there, and continues to explore her imaginary worlds. Before leaving for work every day I'm required to do at least 10 minutes of imaginary play with her which usually involves running around with capes on, pretending we are jumping over alligators, and her expounding her dreams from the night before (most of which sound extraordinarily similar to other stories we've told her or events of the previous day).
Hinckley is still loving school and he is having a better time on the bus this year as his seatmate is really into Pokemon and so they are bonding over that. He and Kassie pulled some samples into Petri dishes and we've been watching the bacteria growing over the last few days. He's pretty excited about that.
Greyson has really started jabbering more, and while "Trash" is still his favorite word and object of play, he's expanded to a few other words and phrases, including "touch buts!" (something he says when he discovers something with lots of buttons of which he wants to push....hahahaha). He's mastered the art of shrieking on demand, of which he wields effortlessly at church. He passes out less lately than he has in the past though. He has maintained more thickness than the others have, his jowls rival Elder Holland's and he offers very sweet kisses.
We went up to PHX on Saturday and had a blast playing in the "Uptown Jungle" (indoor jump park), seeing Dan and Sam and their new baby, and spending time with Granny and Grandpa and some other Williams folk at Aunt Bekah's famous "Adult Only Water Slide and Pool Party" she and JD host every year. Kristen, John, and Chelsea were there too so that was fun. Grace, Claire, and Kate entertained our kids with movies and treats. All went well until a small accident led to Greyson crying so hard he passed out and gave them all a scare. I had a great visit with Sean Riffenburg as they are expecting baby #2 and both he and his wife are approaching graduation in December and uncertain waters after that. Sure great to see those good folks.
August 11, 2019
August has come, and we've made it through Addie's birthday celebrations. We had about 6 or 7 girls over for the Frozen-themed party. Kassie had planned all sorts of good activities and things for the girls to do, and also made some fun food things (including Olaf cheese sticks). There was a lot of joy and some tears too. Addie is a happy 4-year-old (when she is well-rested and well-fed and given plenty of attention).
Greyson has stepped up his game in getting into things and is constantly pulling stuff out (including plates from the dishwasher, markers in the cupboard, etc) and essentially raising heck wherever he can. Lately, he has wanted to sleep with his water bottle, and he is constantly pointing out plants (anything that looks like a cactus) saying "Cactus!" and "Ouch" - he is still recovering mentally from touching a cactus a week or two ago.
Hinckley is loving 1st grade! I hoped he would, and I’m glad the first few days have been positive. He seems to have adapted really well there and hasn’t been too tired here at home. That is really good. He continues to create lots of things with materials he finds around the house.
Kassie and I went to dinner and a movie ("Yesterday" is what it is called). Baby sitters (two sisters) came over and when we came home they had put liquid soap in the dishwasher….uh oh. We had all sorts of bubbles to manage but it got finally under control. They were well-meaning young ladies!
July 29, 2019
We are entering the last week of summer for Hinckley before school begins. This week we went to two pool parties, one for the ward and one for a birthday and aside from our feet getting bitten by ants we had a good time. Hinckley managed to down 4 cookies and 2 cupcakes before we realized what was going on and Greyson kept hollering for "Coogie!!" We also went and saw Lion King which had stunning visuals but...not much else.
I had a good lunch with one of my co-workers who left Intuit back in January and it was good to see her. My managers won't let me work remotely so going to Utah in December/January is looking much less likely at this point and we aren't really sure what we should do or when we should do it.
July 21, 2019
Hinckley and Addie presented talents at the Primary talent show. Addie told stories and Hinkley displayed some of his artwork. Hinckley and I had a great date Saturday going to get Coldstone ice-cream before swimming together. So far swimming and icecream has been his favorite date this year and last. Addie also had a date with Kassie and they also got some ice cream. Hinckley and I also witnessed Greyson’s firm decision to walk. He started just walking around! He walked circles around the couch, back and forth across the kitchen, and clapped and danced with his hands most of the time as he was having a blast! It is really so fun to see.
I passed the PMP exam! I was so surprised because as I was taking the 4-hour test at the Pearson site in Tucson, I felt like it was a bust…each question felt like a guess for much of it. Turns out I guessed good enough or something. It feels so good to be done with that. I also found out this week that I'll get a promotion next month - so it's been a good week for professional development. My manager didn't seem super into the idea of me being remote in Utah though, so we'll see how that transpires. I'm dusting off the resume, but it would be best if we could stay with Intuit.
Hinckley attended a fun summer camp put on by the local area and enjoyed that, including a field trip to the international wildlife museum. Addie is preparing for her first set of dance classes that will be coming in a few weeks, she is very happy about the clothes and shoes (though we still haven't been able to find the right sizes of shoe). Greyson continues waving to all, and is very proud of his new walking ability. He also enjoys playing daredevil in which he does things like climb up onto a chair and stand up and lunge for light switches, or stand at the top of the stairs and step off, etc etc. That combined with his ability to open the garage/bathroom doors and his insatiable love of trash make for a nonstop day of Greyson monitoring...and likely a key input to his new favorite word: "No!"
July 14, 2019
We had a great time with Williams family members at Bear Lake and 1220. Hinckley and I had a wonderful time on his birthday at 7 Peaks. It is nearly the same as it once was, minus the hot tubs (which I don't think I ever went in any way). Hinckley was just 1/2 inch or so too short to ride on most of the rides (48 inches required) but we were able to do the tube rides which he loved. We also had fun meeting up with Abi and kids + George at Bridal Vail where they did some dipping and fun in the ice water there. We packed up and made it home to Sahuarita in about 12 hours flat and everyone was very happy to be back in their own beds! Tempers have run high today as we are all catching up on sleep, getting back into routines, etc.
June 30, 2019
This week Greyson took his first few steps! He's been loving the new territory to explore at the Burnside's home and requires lots of attention or else his hazardous hobbies get him in trouble. The kids have had lots of fun so far doing crafts with Grandma, hiking in the Garden of the Gods, canoeing on a lake, swimming, backyard fun, and much more. I'm looking forward to seeing them this week!
I'm nearly home from my trip to the Philippines, extended by one night in LAX after I got confused/distracted and missed my flight to Tucson (facepalm). It was a great visit, and I had a neat experience giving the Book of Mormon to my driver who shuttled me from the hotel to work each day. When I was telling him about it he was very happy to have it, he studied with the missionaries many years ago and wants to learn more. When I bore my testimony he exclaimed how great and different he felt, and then in broken English, he pointed to his arms where I could see the hairs were standing on end with goosebumps and he said, "I feel very different, very strong feeling when I hear those words you are saying." It was incredible to feel the power of the Holy Ghost at that moment.
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