Yikes!

What is this a picture of you ask!? Oh just my finger SUPER GLUED to Braddock’s Perler Bead creation!! I was just innocently clearing off the table for dinner when I picked this bad boy up.....not knowing it was coated in wet glue! 😳 You can’t make this stuff up people! And man did it hurt to rip that sucker off! 🤣🤣🤣 (I know nail polish remover can help dissolve super glue, but my lovely boys also used up every drop of that on their "science experiments" too!)

Swinging in the Trees

When Braddock sets his mind to something there's very little you can do to dissuade him.  He pulled out a hammock the other day and was sure it would work in our little dogwood tree.  Well he managed to pull it off and even tied it well enough that we both hung in it together without falling.  Everyone loved it so much we pulled out a second hammock and now we've basically been living in the tree ever since.  Hahaha!  Half the time the boys even invite all our animals to join them and I'm here for it.

One day this week Bridger and I just shot the breeze in the hammock for hours.  Sure I have a to-do list a mile long, but this kid won’t be home with me much longer once he starts school, so soaking up some time with him in the hammock felt like a much better option than housework and responsibilities! ☀️ Sometimes I have to remind myself that all the little things that don’t make it on the list hold value too! In fact, at the end of the day they matter most! ❤️

Something's Missing

Being number four makes this kid extra anxious to hit milestones like his big brothers.  As soon as he noticed the slightest wiggle in his teeth he was trying his darnedest to get that thing out!  It took a week or so but it finally happened!  My last baby lost his first tooth and he couldn't be prouder!  (I on the other hand, just *might* be tearing up over here!  Time needs to stop!)

YM/YW Flour Ball

This past week for our combined activity the youth all got to play their much anticipated Flour Ball.  You fill nylons with flour and tie them off to make balls that cover the recipient with flour dust when they're hit.  We split into two teams and each team had a flag.  We had to do our best to protect our flags while trying to find the other teams.  If you get hit by a flour ball you have to go back to your side of the Church before trying again.  They all seemed to have a fantastic time and both teams won once.  Tanner was crazy and spent half his time climbing through the bushes and trees in his socks to try and get to the other teams flag and ended up pretty itchy and scratched up, but I think he'd still insist it was worth it!

A Big Day

Wednesday, May 19th was an incredibly special day.  It was Jeff Shugars birthday, but more than that it was FINALLY his baptism day!  Jeff has always been part of our Ward.  For as long as I've known him he's been there to see his daughters speak in Church, or to support Michelle in any calling she had, or even just to drive her to Sacrament Meeting.  He would get up early to take them to early morning Seminary, and was always such an example of Christ like love and service.  But something's always been missing.  Jeff decided two weeks ago that it was finally time to take the plunge and be baptized.  What a sacred and special experience it was to be a part of his day.  The Spirit was thick and it was incredible to feel the truthfulness of the Gospel in action as we witnessed his baptism that day.  We couldn't be happier for him and it brought renewed excitement for our journey back to our Heavenly Father as we saw the joy in his and his family's eyes.  Welcome to the Ward Jeff, even though you've been a part of it all along!
 

The Max of Love

Lately Bridger's started telling me that he loves me the "max of love!"  It's super cute and it melts me every time.  The other day Dean called on his lunch hour and I was bragging about how much Bridger loves me so Dean asked Bridger how much he loved him.  After pondering for a minute he replied, "I love you one less than the max of love!"  Hahaha!  After getting off the phone Bridger even made this graph to show his love for each of us.  Dean was plotting how to increase his love....maybe even taking him for ice cream to win him over, but then Bridger came back with his improved graph.  Now we're both at the "max of love!"  I hope this cute boy never grows up!

12-Eyes

Two days before testing positive with Covid, we had eye dr. appointments for all four boys.  Tanner was desperately hoping he needed glasses, and Braddock and Landon were hoping for a change in prescription so they would have an excuse to get new glasses.  All three of their dreams came true and after lots of deliberation we had new frames ordered online.  They all checked the mail religiously until the day they arrived.  It was the highlight of quarantine and they were all thrilled with their new specs.  

Expander

After two weeks of cranking his expander twice a day this kid is now sporting a big old gap in his front teeth.  We missed his orthodontist appointment to make sure it was done because of quarantine, but I'm confident that we spread things enough.  He will be keeping the expander on for four months to allow his palate to heal and he'll be getting braces across the top to straighten those suckers out.  I'm amazed that this whole process was pretty much painless and he did great at remembering to crank that contraption all by himself.
 

Quarantine

Don't let these pictures fool you.  Having the boys home for a majority of the school year has been HARD.  Braddock especially struggles to do any of his work without me next to him coaching him along.  He's very difficult to motivate and you just can't learn as well virtually as you can in person.  Even after going back to school five days a week we've been sent home for so many "exposure" quarantines that all three boys haven't all been in school at the same time for more than five days this year.  It's been NUTS.  But I hope we all look back on this extra time together with fondness too.  I've loved watching them have more time to play together and be creative together.  Bridger has had far less one on one time with me than I had planned, but he's definitely gained a lot of time with his brothers he wouldn't normally have had.

Mother's Day 2021

Mother's Day this year was spent in quarantine, and all of us but Dean (who was fully vaccinated) and Landon (who must have a rockstar immune system) got Covid.  We made it over a year avoiding it, and I even had my first vaccination and figured we were in the clear.  We started Primary back up and ended up getting Covid that first time back.  Haha!  Symptoms weren't horrible, but we were all just kind of under-the-weather.  Saturday night started off with Bridger falling asleep on me while looking through his baby book.  This actually still happens fairly often, but I know it won't last so I soak it up when I can.  I slept in Sunday morning and got up to a beautiful breakfast of crepes.  I was spoiled with cards from the boys and from Dean, and I finally got my personalized rings with the boys names on them.  I've been eying them for years and I love them!  We watched Church from home and enjoyed a quiet day watching movies and home videos together.  Mom and Dad Nelson supplied dinner and a delicious pie for dessert.  Honestly, despite the illness part, it was such a great Mother's Day, and one I won't soon forget!

He's 11!

I sometimes feel like life is flying right by, and I never want to forget all the little details of our lives.  Last night I stayed up to finish decorating Landon's cake, put together a special lunch for him to take to school, and then I had to fold two weeks worth of laundry that I had put off for WAY too long.  I ended up falling asleep on the couch doing laundry, and woke up pretty stiff and tired at 6am.  Sometimes the stress of birthdays is a lot as the Mom, but then when I get to spend the day with my kiddos, and see the joy the extra work brings them, it's worth every sacrifice.  Before we know it we'll be looking back on this time I'll wish I could stay up till all hours of the night to make them feel loved.  Landon started his big day off with cinnamon rolls and fruit for breakfast.  He had a good day at school and even survived taking the Math PSSA's.  When he got home it was off to piano lessons with Grandma Nelson, and afterwords she took the time to teach him some basic crocheting.  We stopped by Grandma and PapPap's to pick up their presents for him.  Even if it's through a door, we sure love seeing their faces in person!  Landon came out to the school and helped me put up the marquee messages and then we came home to get his birthday dinner on.  Braddock and Bridger set up a little game for him that was Percy Jackson themed.  They all searched for the hidden tridents around the house.  After his dinner of pulled pork sandwiches and kiwis, he got to video chat with Grandma and PapPap to open their gifts and then he opened ours as well.  We wrapped things up with cake and ice cream and a few more calls and video chats from Kevin and Helen, Grandma and Grandpa Hilton, and Grandma Leavitt.  This kid sure is loved.  

One of my favorite parts of our day was the little one-on-one time I had with him driving out to do the marquee.  We got to talk about his strengths, and his relationships with his brothers, and the potential he has to do great things.  Landon's knowledge and testimony of the Gospel makes my heart swell, and his desire to do what's right means everything to me.  He is such a blessing in our family and I feel so blessed to be his Mom!  Happy Birthday Buddy!  We love you like crazy!

 

(Landon....all day you were so grateful for everything I did to make your day special.  At breakfast you commented about how much work I put in to make it for you.  You thanked me for your birthday lunch, and when I told you that you didn't have to put away your laundry since it was your birthday, you insisted that I not do it, but that you'd just save it for tomorrow so I wouldn't have to do extra work.  You may never understand what those little gestures meant to me.  This past year has been rough in so many ways....for the whole world, but for me personally too, and you have helped pull me through on countless occasions with your willingness to help and how you never complain when I ask you to do something.  I thank my Heavenly Father every day for you!  Thanks for being mine!)