March 2024

March 25, 2024

This week blurred by and culminated in our HOA egg hunt on Saturday. I honestly can't recall much of what happened this week so here are a few bullets: 

• Addie advocated for herself in gymnastics and asked to be put back in the group she liked (they had moved her up because she was progressing so well...but they didn't tell her that last week). 
• Hinckley hosted some night games with neighborhood boys on Friday night and had fun despite only a few of them showing up. 
• The TV and media time limits we've set up on devices are working!!!
• Greyson set a trap for the Easter bunny with some carrots from the fridge and some yarn that goes from the living room all the way to his alarm clock in his room. Not sure how the mechanism works, but maybe he'll catch something. 
• For FHE we all helped Hinckley film his school assignment, a Hunger Games book trailer, starring Addie as Katniss, Hinckley as Pita, and Greyson as costume/prop bearer. 
• On Wednesday Kassie planned a "shepherd's meal" for dinner and we ate on the floor. No one spilled grape juice on the carpet and everyone had something on the platter they would eat. Success! 
• The kids brought in a big haul from the HOA egg hunt. Unfortunately, some kids arrived a few minutes late and didn't get to hunt for any eggs. After observing this, and with a little prodding our kids decided to give some of their eggs to others. Addie and Greyson went to their homes and put eggs on their front lawn and were so happy about it.
• Kassie's due date is coming up this week (April 5) and she has been feeling sick with a sinus infection. Hopefully, we can get some medicine on Monday and she can get feeling better soon.

We are looking forward to the rest of our Easter Sunday today. 

Dyed eggs

It's a trap! 

Dying eggs under Mom's direction

Big haul from the HOA hunt

Mom's Easter cookies

Shepherd's meal

Drawing boy hard at work

Carefree Saturday afternoon in Elsa's dress

Easter morning

Easter feast with cousins

Easter devotional

March 24, 2024

This week it was Greyson and Kassie's turn to be sick. Greyson missed the first couple days of school this week, but recovered on Wednesday. He also yanked one of his big front teeth out which wasn't quite ready, but he got it out nonetheless! 

Wednesday was the big day for Hinckley and his group to compete in the underwater robotics competition at the Lehi Rec Center. It was a competition for kids across the valley, there were many schools there! He was the driver and despite losing a propeller he was able to still get one of the pins out of the obstacle at the bottom of the pool and his group was very happy. Overall it was a really good experience for him though.

Hinckley's underwater robotics team

Team poster

Hinckley piloting the robot during the comp

On Friday I volunteered as a parent chaperone with Addie’s class for their field trip to the bowling alley and helped hand out donuts after. Everyone was really excited when they turned down the lights and the disco ball came out and the music came up! Friday evening Kassie and I met some friends for Peruvian food on Center Street in Provo and then we went to the BYU HBLL Archive movie about Helen Keller called The Miracle Worker. It was much less crowded than in the days of Jim D’arc but still enjoyable. 

Bowling girl

At Jack and Jill's with Addie's class

Bowling group

Goofing off with friend Remi

Saturday I remembered that I often intend to take the kids on the front runner (train) but keep forgetting. This time I remembered! They loved it. We got up on the top level both times and they were amazed at the view of Lehi as we took the ~10-minute ride both ways. We walked up to 711 from the Lehi station and got slurpies. We drank them in the Mariott lobby because it was cold outside. Other than Greyson trying to "hoop" his cup that was still half full of slurpie into the lobby trash can (and missing) it all worked out. It was a great adventure!

Waiting for a train

On the second level of the train!

Crafting with Grandma

Our neighbor insisted on throwing Kassie a baby shower. On Saturday afternoon Kassie and Addie went over and it seemed to go well. The kids were excited to have the Kays over along with Kassie’s parents who also came down for it from SLC. We watched Cool Runnings on Saturday evening, do you remember that show?! It was the first time I’d seen that in many years. I remembered it all pretty well though. Good times. 

March 17, 2024

The kids had Monday and Tuesday off of school this week for teacher work days, and they didn't leave the house much. Lots of playing and laughter (they had a sleepover in Greyson's room Sunday night, and Hinckley slept under Greyson's bed until he got too hot) along with tears and nasty language.

Ready for a sleepover

Reading "Wimpy Kid" together

Feeling for the baby

Addie then got something like the flu and missed Wednesday through Friday of school poor girl. She was sad to miss school and got bored. Hinckley's underwater robotics project with school is going better and his group was able to fix almost everything that had broken in last week's practices. He and Kassie went on a really fun date this week - a french fry food tour of their own making! They created scoring sheets (crunchiness, tastiness, etc) and went to five different locations and sampled a total of six different fry types. Five Guys was the winner with Cubby's rosemary fries in second and Arby's curly fries in for bronze.

Fry guy

With the winning fries

This week I picked Greyson up from the bus stop again since Kassie was at the midwife for her now weekly checkup. I love picking him up because he holds my hand all the way home. He is in a phase right now where he really doesn’t like me much and his a total Mama’s boy, so any time he is feeling warm towards me is magical. With the input of his siblings, Greyson has started planning the live-action filming of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and on Saturday we filmed a tennis/pickleball scene. They were all very excited about it.


On Saturday I built a workbench in the garage and am pretty excited about that. It is satisfying to create something and actually see and use it after. Greyson hammered some things too, and Addie made a little block for her room which she was happy about (after many tears).

New workbench

Addie's animals enjoy the new couch

St Patrick's day morning 2024

This morning (Sunday) the Leprechaun came and managed to sneak past Greyson and Addie's trap to deliver gold coins and a new book. Everyone enjoys this tradition and are excited for a day of green today.

March 10, 2024

Everyone commented how quickly this week seemed to go by and it is true! Addie was eagerly looking forward to a Harry Potter poster she bought with her own money to arrive on Thursday, and Greyson was also excited about a Goosebumps coloring book that came the same day. We've figured out a plan to manage his obsession for drawing/tracing/sketching in which he can use the coloring book (rather than printing tons of things off the Internet) and he can have a daily "allotment" (he likes to use that word) of paper based on cleaning up the front room he is used to trashing. It has gone pretty well this week.


On Monday night Steph Hawkes came over and played Super Smash Bros with Hinckley and me which was fun and we drank chocolate avocado smoothies in honor of her birthday the previous day. On Tuesday I took Hinckley with me to the GOP caucus night which he seemed to pay attention to more than I think I would have at his age. He was a little worried it would be dramatic and even scary, but it was quite tame.


On Friday I took Addie to Pizza Pie Cafe for a date and then we went to her friend Brooke’s play Frog and Toad. We had a great time! Saturday was busy with a birthday party Greyson went to and Hinckley had his first practice at the rec center for underwater robotics (something he is doing as a part of his school class) which didn’t go well. Kas and I bought a couch with Addie’s help at Living Spaces. It was the first time we had gone to a furniture store in our marriage unless you count buying our first couch at Pak Rats in Provo...🤣

Evening trampoline fun

Addie and her friend Brooke