Fall Break week

We're in Fall Break week now.  Usually we try to go hiking or something over the break, but since we were supposed to be going to Moab for a trail run in 2 weeks, we opted to stay home this time.  It's a good thing too.  Margaret drove out to surprise Aubrey for a couple days before she leaves on her mission to Peru. 

Sam started learning how to play the piccolo.  It's going pretty well so far and he's enjoying learning something new.

Evelyn asked me to come to her acrobatics class.  She was super excited and then sprained her wrist.  Darn.  

I was telling these two that I have pictures of them at the park in a baby swing together.  They decided to wear their santa hats at the same time, so I took another picture of them together.

Seth, Hal and Isabel all together again for the first time in 4 years. They've all grown quite a bit.

We took our laser tag guns down to grandma's and the kids all played in the dark.

Amelia, Maisy, Jonathan, Isabel, Cyrus, Aubrey, Hal, Evelyn and Seth.

While we were together, we celebrated Eli's birthday. If I had thought to, I would have asked if we could sing to Ada too.... but we'd already done two birthday celebrations for her and I didn't think about it.  While we were there, Emma asked if I could watch her kids.  Walter, Hal and Peter played so nicely together!

15 year old Eli

Walter, Hal, Grandma and Seth

Saturday morning, some of the older kids were biking up the canyon.  Jer took Evelyn along.  She was a little cold but she said she had so much fun.

Aubrey, Amy, Joseph, Grandpa, Jonathan, Margaret, Evelyn

 

Turning 15

I can't believe Ada is 15.  To me that feels entirely too grown up.  She is very mature for her age though.  She loves singing, seminary, making things, art, literature, piano, soccer and occasionally likes running and hiking.  She's good at math but doesn't enjoy it. She likes her job at the retirement home serving meals.  She likes working with Boston, Kaitlyn and Brooklyn.  I love being in her YW's class with her and I try to stay to the side so she can be a normal young woman as well as my daughter.  She's an excellent big sister and always tries to think of things that would make her friends happy.  She's VERY excited to drive. I love my independent, kind, hard working, beautiful girl.

Ada started playing with Sam's hair.... Evelyn finished it and Seth wanted to jump in when I was taking a picture of it.  Just a few more days in the walking boot.... then two weeks of walking with his shoes on.  Then Sam is free.

I noticed that Dad looked like a shoulder angel while we were taking a selfie.  Then it turned into an all out selfie war, including Dad getting head butted by Seth when he tried to stick his face in.

Instead of a party this year, Ada went to a movie with her friend Kooper and out to dinner with Mom and Dad.  Because most of her really close friends are boys, I think it's time to start laying down some extra guidelines.  Ada chose Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  It was really good, but she found out that the meal is huge and took most of it home for later.

 

Week of cousins

 

Birthday weeks are good for cousins.  This week was Ada's birthday, so the Wilcox cousins came to celebrate with milkshakes and hang outs.  

We got to wish Vivien a happy birthday as they drove through.  They were on their way to Disneyland and stopped to have a quick birthday dinner and cupcakes.

We also got to see Uncle Seth and play D&D this week. 

General Conference Sunday

This one was from Saturday.  I just missed posting it.  Sam laid down on the floor and Ada took full advantage to pile everything she could find on top of him.

Sunday morning session, we watched from our house.  We sat in big boxes while we listened and painted rocks for Emma's rock garden.

Second session, we joined Grandma and Grandpa Robertson and then we made waffles for dinner. Conference tradition=Grandpa's waffles.

Seth still wasn't feeling all the way better, so lots of cuddles.

Ada's almost caught up to Grandpa.... though he might shrink a little too.

We added our kids to the wall for the first time.  Ada and Grandpa are the same height and apparently Ada is currently taller than Amy, Becca, Emma, Lizzie and Grace.

Sam is the same height as Samuel Brasher.

Evelyn is taller than Samuel Brasher from 2021 and lots of names there that I can't see the years on.  Joseph Tarkington, Jonathan, Maisy, Cyrus, Eli (I think that one says 2019 by it), Mariah (maybe 2016?)

Seth is almost the same height as Samuel Brasher from 3 years ago and Cyrus and Maisy from 3 years ago.

 

Ecuador reunion

 

In true Ecuadorian fashion, we had to be very flexible with our plans. They told us to be there at 1pm.  We showed up and they said that they wouldn't be ready until 3 pm.  So, we looked through photos that Mayra had taken.  I remember her constantly saying, take a picture of me here.... or let's pose like this as a group.  I'm glad that she did.  We have a lot of memories now because of her.  While looking through pictures I took pictures of several of hers.  She's struggling a little bit being in the US right now.  I think she wants to feel like everything is easy and natural like it was for her in Ecuador.  Here she has to account for cultural and language differences.

At 2pm, we chose to go back to Sharon's house for the second session of conference and come back again after the session.  We came back at 4:30 and Cristina's family was there, so that was fun.  They had forgotten the food, so they had sent half the party out to the store to get food to prepare.  In true Ecuadorian fashion, they knew they'd get there eventually. We stayed until the 3rd session was supposed to start and then headed back to Sharon's.  We had planned on listening to the 3rd session in the car and stopping to visit with McKay and Sophie's family on the way home.  We decided it would be easier to stay and drive over after the session (yeah for flexible planning?).  Just as we were going to leave, Seth cut his eye and cried and cried.  It was on the actual eye itself and there was nothing in his eye so there was not much we could do.  We washed his eye out, Sharon had eye drops and then we just cuddled.  We jumped in the car and he cried until he fell asleep.  That put a damper on visiting McKay.  The three older kids and I jumped out and had about an hour visit while Jer and Seth stayed in the car.  Poor kiddo.  It took about three days before his eye was really feeling better.  It was fun to see everyone from the beginning to the end of the day.  We're so blessed to live so close.

Mayra, me, Cristina and Evelyn

This was Mayra (Cueva), Karen (Green), me and Emma (Tanuvasa) in our apartment in Santa Elena.  That was a fun one.  We all slept together in the living room and studied in our bedrooms.  That yellow and green bed was mine.

Mayra made sure that we always had something together.  This one, she found a member that would make us "GI Jose" t-shirts.  That was funny.  Another zone she had Hawaiian t-shirts made for the whole zone.  The third time I lived with her, she found Pony Malta shirts for the whole zone.

This was a mission conference in Guayaquil with the whole mission.  I'm there on the left in the blue dress.

If I remember right, we put together a musical number for Christmas.  There were several times that we sang together or that I played the piano.  One of the times, I was asked to play the piano and they forgot they'd asked me, so they had a member come to the meeting and accompany them.... Whoops.... double booked. One of the things I love about this picture, it shows just how "big" I was compared to all the Latinos.  I am 5'4" and I was often the tallest one there unless Sister Gledhill or one of the American Elders was there.

All three of us were missionaries together.

Me, Mayra, and Ben

Ben served in the mission office for about half of his mission, which is where I knew him from.  Later, he returned to Ecuador to be a tourist and reached out to several people that he knew lived in Guayaquil to see if any would like to be his paid guide for his trip.  Mayra said yes, they spent a month travelling together and ended up getting engaged and married.  She came and stayed with Jer and I about 15 years ago while she was here on a tourist visa and trying to apply for all her paperwork to get married and live here.  It's a long road together.

But that's the story of how a 1:00 mission reunion still hadn't happened by 6:00 when we had to leave.

Conference Weekend Saturday

 

So, my mission friends were having a reunion on Saturday up in Nibley, UT between conference sessions.  Since we were going to be up there anyways, we called to ask Sharon if we could watch conference with her before the reunion.  They were going to be putting in their sod and we thought that a few more teenage and adult bodies would make that easier.  The youth from their ward got to it before we did, so we were free to just listen to conference.  The yard looks absolutely beautiful, and they are still working hard to finish it up.  Sharon made a very cute General Conference store.  They could earn cash by taking notes, finishing worksheets, getting a bingo, etc.... then buy whatever treats they wanted.  Sam and Lance took that to the extreme and squeezed out as much as they could so they could eat all the junk food.... I thought that was funny.

After the first session, we put out bubble wrap for the kids to pop.  Evelyn and Vivien especially loved this one.

Ada took great notes.

Days of the week

For Labor Day, we found a fire pit that's a double burning one.  It does make smoke, but not as much as a regular fire pit.  Which is nice right outside our door.  We tried it out this week.  We had a fire and our family night lesson about the Word of Wisdom and nutrition.

Evelyn had her parent teacher conference.  She's in 6th grade and she's progressing consistently. Her reading and English learning arts are about a grade above grade level.  Her math is on grade level but progressing consistently.  Her teacher said that her RISE testing score was interesting.  Most people do a 10-20 point jump in their test score from one grade to another.  In 7 years of teaching, Evelyn's test was the only one she's seen that has jumped 100 in a year.  Evelyn was very flattered to hear that.  I'm proud of the work she is putting in.  

Ada had her first concert of the year.  As part of Chamber choir, she has about twice the number of concerts than she has the previous two years.  She has a concert this next Thursday too.

Evelyn did have a rough week, but it was better by the end.  She was taken from the level 3 ballet and put into the 2.5 class.  She just needed extra help with her form so that she doesn't hurt her feet.  She was very upset, but Jer and I decided to get her a 1/2 hour private lesson every week.  She LOVED it and so did I.  The entire 1/2 hour was very engaging for her and the teacher got right down on the floor next to her feet and would help her correct them as she goes.  I asked her acrobatics teacher how she was doing and she said that she's doing very well in there.  I asked if she was half trying or if she was really putting in some effort.  The teacher said that's she's progressing well.  I love that by talking openly, Evelyn is getting what she needs.  Her teachers are aware of her foot problems and want to help the best they can.  Her acro and school teachers both have ADHD themselves and they have been excellent in terms of patience, encouragement and skills that Evelyn can use anywhere.  I with Janelle had had this in Elementary instead of a teacher that told her she was dumb.  

Some mornings, I come sleep on the couch because it's easier on my hips and I don't wake up feeling like an old lady.  Some mornings the kids come and join me.

I want to have a hysterectomy done for several reasons, but on my way to get some biopsies and have a doctor consult this sign was in the elevator.  I thought that was really funny.

Seth and Moana, the double headed dragon.

D&D with Seth and the Komen's