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.

First day of school

We have had one full week of school, and it seems to be going well! Here they all are on the first day, Monday.

Max is 7th, Ben 4th and Andrew 1st grade.

Andrew has the same first grade teacher that Max had, and Ben has a teacher we did not know before. But they seem nice, and each boy knows several other kids in his class.  Max leaves earlier and comes back later than the other boys, and he is missed.

I have to find time to be able to listen to each boy individually because they have had a lot of information to share each afternoon.

James started Upstart online preschool this week, and the day after Labor Day his preschool starts at the high school. He can't wait.  When the boys come home, he kind of attacks them because he doesn't know how to use the words to say "I missed you."

Lagoon and school preps

It was a good thing we decided to stick around instead of going to California, because we were able to get haircuts then go to Back to School Night on Thursday at two different schools. And Max was able to go to his 7th grade practice day Friday morning at the middle school.

This is the first time we have a bus-rider in our family, because the elementary school is just down the street. I still was on vacation Friday, so Millie and I went with Max to his bus stop.

I am glad I went, because the bus was really late! I called and they said it was a breakdown or something.  It finally came just before school was supposed to start, but ever since then has been on time.  Max found out on Friday that he knows several of the kids on the bus and has classes with a good variety of his friends from elementary school, church, and basketball. He got the hang of his locker, and felt a lot better about things.

After he got home (it was half-day for them), we went to Lagoon's water park for a few hours. Andrew rode some bigger slides for the first time and did great! Millie loved the lazy river. She wanted to be IN the water and kept wiggling all over to see it/splash it.

Saturday we had a laze-around day before the annual stake carnival that night.

Summer suddenly felt like it had sped by!

MTC Tour and Lego letdown

Thursday's StayCation plans included a tour of the new Missionary Training Center in Provo.

We boarded buses by the football stadium and rode over to the MTC.  JB says he had lots of memories come flooding back as we walked through the halls, because of the 3 months he spent htere before heading to Recife, Brazil.

I remember my mom telling me growing up about how her grandfather's farm and orchards were part of the land that later became the MTC campus.  Memories came back to me of dropping off friends, JB's brother Scott (here is his return), and my brother Seth (here is where I dropped him off).

We walked through the old part, and then the new. I loved the tall ceilings, the light, and the beautiful huge paintings and still photos and quotations on the walls.

Max has just 6 years before he can go!

Max and Ben said the cafeteria looked pretty cool. All those different types of cereal.

On the drive back up to Salt Lake City, we stopped at a place I had read about and told the boys about for several months -- a Bricks and Minifigs Lego Store. I honestly thought it would be fun for them. The big boys have been wanting to use their money on Legos all summer.

The boys had their wallets....but it was SO expensive! It was a visit of about 2 1/2 minutes before turning around and coming back out.  Ben was bummed, Max was disgusted -- and poor Andrew cried and shook his fists and said, "This isn't fun anymore!"  

It was doubly disappointing because we had at one point talked about going to Legoland during this week. But JB the bargain shopper had two new Lego sets at home he pulled out for James and Andrew, and I took Max and Ben to Walmart where they picked out cool sets to spend their money on. And everybody was happy again.