Hanging Around

After the older kids got home our summer really slowed down (could thing slow down ever more from covid state??? apparently!)   I mostly took care of the babies and the kids did their own thing.  We hung around the house a lot.  We tried to go on one big outing each week that everyone came too.  I took Even and Dane to park or swimming almost everyday and sometimes a girl would come with me.  The kids just played with their friends on the street.  They boys actually really started to hang out with boys from their quorum - that has been nice.

The kids have enjoyed holding Eve.

As stated earlier we hang out in the front and back a lot!

Is there anything better than a sleeping baby?

Reading one of Dane's favorite books.  All my kids have loved Sesame Street.  Particularly Elmo ("mo-mo"). Dane does love Elmo and Elmo's world.  But he seems to like Oscar and Cookie Monster just as much or even more.

Dane is so good with her.  He loves her.  She is SO patient with him.  She looks at him differently than she looks at the rest of us.  I think she loves him too.  It feels like they already know each other.  He has a whole routine when he sees her.  He first identifies if she is "crying", "seeping", or "wake".  Then he points to her nose and then usually her feet or toes.  Then he wants to hold her.   I can't totally trust them alone together - but I never have been able to at this age.

Since pools have been difficult to go to (even though we DO go twice a week) we have more back yard swim parties and sprinkler run throughs.  *On a side note my girls friends ALL wear two pieces and my girls wear one pieces and my girls have not even mentioned it or made it an issue.  I am just waiting.

We had to get a new gate and Brock decided it needed to be sanded so one day he just started sanding it. 

I have these two monitors to carry around.  I love watching them sleep.  It gives me a dopamine rush every time I see them! 

This is how he holds her.

Lately he has been liking it like this.  Evee doesn't like this one as much.

One day Jason fell asleep on the porch with Evee and the girls found them and thought it was adorable and ran in to grab my phone to take a picture.

Another time they found me.  haha

The girls have been spending A LOT of time down in thte basement with their friends.  They put on plays, shows, and routines for us.  This is a rapunzle play they did.

And this was a gymnastics routine.

Without being too prideful we have kind of been killing it with the new Children and Youth Program.  All the kids have done different goals and many of them have been on their own.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't the main driver of it - but I think for ages between 8 and 13 that is expected.  But they often surprise me with their own effort and ideas.  A few things we have done (some pre covid, some not).  Family walks, movie night with primary class, night games with quorum, special things for quorum or class members that need extra love, work out videos, practicing talents.

The girls wanted to learn to make a 3 layer cake with candy inside.  They watch you tube videos and did it (honestly) 100% by themselves.  I wasn't even home for most of it.  AND they cleaned it all up  - I was especially impressed they cleaned up the frosting mess - the kitchen was a DISASTER - I walked in and walked right back out with my blood boiling.  Powdered sugar, cocoa, and butter EVERYWHERE and about 4 or 5 bowls dirty.  I cam back an hour later when I felt prepared to clean it up with them and they had it all cleaned! Because I wasn't home/involved in the baking part I didn't get any pictures.  But here is one of filling the cake and the final result.

SO impressed.  And SO yummy.

Dane and I spend 90% of our day outside.  One day we were walking down the street together and the shadow made me happy.  Also... you can spy my fanny pack.  Yes, I wear a fanny pack.  It took me 2 weeks knowing i needed one before i had the guts to do it.  So embarrassing.  But I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  As you saw before I often have 1 or two monitors to carry around, plus my phone, also I need a binkey and a burp rag.  This is just so much easier.  I feel so free. AND I rarely look at my phone now.  Out of sight out of mind.  It is the best.