Porch pics

We were waiting on the front porch on a recent Friday around noon for the three bigger boys to come home from school, and photographer James went nuts.

I was hurrying to finish my book for book group ("The Time of My Life" -- I am reviewing it), and didn't even notice he was using the equivalent of an entire roll of film, digitally speaking, on my phone.

I still had my work badge on, which is weird.

Millie did her up-downs

I know, she is bow-less. She's starting to rip them off more.

But look how cute. James got her to smile. Wish I could say the same for me, haha!

State Fair judge

I was asked to be the "celebrity" judge for the Dutch Oven competition at the Utah State Fair. I was like, me?! But of course!

Here are some of the dishes. Three rounds: dessert, bread, main dish.

I wore a KSL radio shirt, but two of the other judges kept thinking I was the Mary who is an anchor Channel 2. Which I found hilarious by the end of the night. Also, those two judges were previous World Champion Dutch Oven competition contestants and I had no idea who they were, so turnabout is fair play.

They let my bring the kids, so they got into the State Fair for free (JB was at a Utah home football game with his dad).  I was too nervous to let the kids roam the crowded Fair grounds without me, so they played in the corn pit in the Utah Farmers Bureau pavilion and had pizza and stared at me as they willed me to hurry up.

I am still finding corn in my washing machine and in their shoes!

I watched the Great British Baking Show to prepare, and I think it really helped my comments on the team papers. Overbaked, underproved, nice color, etc. Some judges took a quick bite or two, but I enjoyed almost all of it and took several bites of my portion. Several. 

Afterward we walked around the fair. I sprung for tickets for the giant slide but the rest of the rides on the midway were just too pricey. So we mainly went through the crafts and vegetables and fruits and animals buildings.

Millie knew what the piggies were doing!

 

Ben took a picture of me by a lamb.

Max was not happy about wearing his new shoes onto the dirty floors of the animal pavilions so he stayed near the door and does not appear in any pictures.

Uma boa surpresa

*My 1,000th post!

What a nice surprise we had last Friday night.  We had just gotten back from a dinner in the canyon with other bishops and our state presidency, to find a young woman hovering around our yard.  She asked with an accent if this was "the home of Richards" -- and she and JB started speaking in some English and Portuguese, and it turns out, she is the daughter of a man in Brazil who JB baptized on his mission!

Sabrina is here for school learning English. She got her dad on a video call and I had to take a picture of the conversation to text my dad saying, "Portuguese in my living room right now -- a mission reunion across the time zones."  (My dad served in Brazil, too.)

Seriously, how cool is that? Ruy is still active in the church and from the bits and pieces I caught from knowing some Spanish, it sounded like such a nice catch-up.

We invited Sabrina and her friend Steven over for dinner on Sunday.

No, we did not serve Brazilian food, we served "American food" because Sabrina says she is loving fast food here in the States. So it was a menu of hamburgers, watermelon, potato salad, regular salad, chips, brownies and ice cream.

She is doing very well with English. She and her parents say we should go visit Brazil and visit them, which made my boys super excited about the possibility. That would be a dream trip for sure.

Jamser Preschooler

This four year old is now going to preschool for the first time. After his problems starting primary and his refusal to do swimming lessons, I was worried last Monday night.

But by Tuesday at pickup when he came running out with a big smile, I knew things will be fine. He LOVES preschool.

He goes Tues, Wed and Thursday to the same place Ben and Andrew went, and he's ready to go with a backpack on as soon as he wakes up.

Last Friday he was distraught -- dare I say furious -- when JB told him he did not have school that day. "But I want to go NOOOOOWWWW!"

We used to carpool with two other families with the other boys but this time we don't know any other kids. But James he told me about a boy with a dinosaur shirt on, so hopefully that was BFFs at first glance.

Harvesting

What am I supposed to do with the one cabbage that grew in our yard this year? We don't really eat the stuff.

 It came from school. The third graders all got one. Max's from a few years back did not take. This one did. But, nothing else grew this time. Probably because I am a lazy gardener and did not prepare the soil in that corner.

I tried planting a few vegetables  that my neighbor gave us because she was out of space. They all died. BUT, now, we are reaping the rewards of her great work. Squash and zucchini and tomatoes and peppers, oh my.

While snapping the award-winning poses above, I spotted Millie-girl doing what she loves to do lately -- climb into the wagon.

So proud of herself. She'll sit there quite content while I play baseball with James and Andrew, or while JB lifts weights with his brother Scott in the morning. She moves to the other side and bustles her toys about.

Phone obsessed

Millie only wants the phone, remote control, or laptop from us.  She thinks they are the most desirable toys, because those are the things we play with on the couch. JB plays hideaway with her every morning.

But sometimes she does get a hold of my phone, and then I find pictures like this.

Methinks Ben helped her push the button for a selfie. His smiling eyes in the corner there give him away.

Then, one time when we were all outside, James somehow got my phone and hid in the stroller in the garage. Look who found him!

There were about 20 other pictures on there of her hovering by the stroller, and of various things in the garage. Her favorite thing is to hear Siri talk back to her. James just wants to watch Daniel Tiger on Amazon Prime App, but I have it set with a code, so all he can do is take pictures from the home screen.

The Neftlix App and The Great British Baking Show is my jam lately.  Where has it been all my life? Oh, and the Ryan Hamilton comedy special. Watch it and laugh and laugh.

Tournament life

I found this post sitting in drafts. It was from the spring/summer, when the big boys had a few tournaments in a row for basketball.

Different complexes with lots and lots of temporary courts and hoops all in a row, and then another place that had an indoor field on the side that the little boys just ran and ran and ran in. We spent hours at each place.

I would take selfies to send to my family members at the afternoon games; JB took pictures on the morning games when I wasn't there yet. The bigs have had a break this August, but I think it should pick back up in the fall.  And Andrew wants to be on a Jr Jazz team! I can't wait.

Ben and Millie

Big brothers are the best. I found these pictures again, from the Scout Camp week in July when JB and Max were gone. We stayed at Nona and Papa's house, and Ben was the best helper with Millie.

She climbed up onto his lap when she was tired, and he rocked her in the chair until she fell asleep for a morning nap. I found them like this Monday and Tuesday when I got there after work.

Both mornings she also woke up when I left at 4 AM, and Ben rocked her back to sleep.

Then there was a day when we went to the park, and he was just loving pushing her in the swings.

He was tired both days (WELCOME TO PARENTHOOD) but I was really proud of how he stepped up.

I could also write so much about how Max is a great helper with the siblings, too. He is babysitting for us more often, and can put the little boys in bed. And for Stake Conference evening session, Max and Ben rocked Millie in her seat until she fell asleep.

Andrew at 6 just wants to make her laugh, James at 4 is starting to be more gentle but still doesn't understand his own strength.  I have heard from another woman or two about being the youngest to several big brothers, and sometimes they say they were teased pretty badly, but other times they do say it was lots of fun.