Keeping Up With the Joneses

Myles turned 10 on April 24th and wanted a Hamilton birthday party. If you don't know, Hamilton is a broadway play based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, the first treasury secretary of the US. I introduced the music to the kids last summer and Myles became OBSESSED! He has almost every word of the 4 hour soundtrack memorized, has read countless books about Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, and the Revolutionary War. So when he wanted a Hamilton birthday party I wasn't really surprised but was also pretty worried about how to pull it off. Fortunately, moms of other pre-teens and teens have had the same problem, have been much more creative, and shared their ideas on Pinterest. It turned out to be lots of fun. On Myles' actually birthday we just had cheesecake and raspberries with family.  The day of his birthday I checked him out of school and we went out for Crepes (his very favorite) for lunch.  For the first part of the party we made t ricorne hats ...

Every year for the last 4-5 years I've gone to a conference in late February/early March called the American Group Psychotherapy Association. Most years it is held in New York and a handful of my friends from BYU go and we have a great time. This year was no exception. I feel so lucky to be able to do this and it is all thanks to my awesome husband and mother-in-law. It takes a village to raise a child--especially if mommy wants to travel! Highland with my Shrink Friends A loooong escalator ride to the subway.  The Chelsea Market was AMAZING! It was cute little boutique stores and restaurants. Definitely somewhere I want to visit again.  I had no idea that Raman could be this good. The place in Chelsea Market was AMAZING! Me and my BFF Corinne in Grand Central Station.  I thought I was the luckiest girl on earth and scored tickets to the Late Show with Stephen Colbert for me and Corinne.. . .for the WRONG DAY! They were for 2 weeks later so I ha...

My beautiful baby boy turned 12! I think the time has come when blog posts about his birthday don't include the stats about his doctor check-up, but I can't help gushing about my boy. Mason brings me so much happiness and joy. I really couldn't ask for a better big brother for his little brothers or oldest son to me. He is kind, compassionate, funny, and just an overall great kid. For Mason's birthday we took him and some friends (and his brothers) to play a few rounds of laser tag and for cheesecake. 

McKay spend a few days in Delta while we did the state Lego League competition. He loves grandpa's 4-wheelers.  Max got this Robot for Christmas and Marshall finally got around to putting it together for him. It had over 1700 pieces and took the more than 8 hours! It is pretty cool, and we ended up taking it to his school for a demonstration.  McKay's little preschool class is my favorite thing ever! He has the best friends and learns so much. In February he learned about 20 nursery rhymes and remembers them all! Mason and his friend Shea did a science fair project. The results: there is no correlation between the size of a clementine and the number of segments. Three science fairs down, dozens to go.  In an attempt to expose the kids to some cultural experiences, I took them to BYU's production of Mary Poppins. It was great and the kids reluctantly loved it.  McKay had his first hair cut where he DIDN'T cry and scream.  Myles an...

When I first heard about the Women's March last November, I really, really, really wanted to go to DC to participate. I worked hard to make it happen, but I just couldn't pull it off with our recent trip to Disneyland and Marshall in meetings the entire weekend. I also wanted to go to the one in Park City on Saturday morning but I couldn't find a babysitter and was battling a bad case of Bronchitis and couldn't make it. So after feeling sorry for myself I decided to get up and organize my own women's march with my kids. I really wanted them to understand the issues and know why this march was happening and why it was important to me. I printed out a handful of signs, had a little lesson with the kids about them, and then we marched around the kitchen table chanting "Love, Not Hate, Makes America Great!" The kids thought it was pretty fun and I felt like I had participated in the cause in some way. Our signs.  McKay went to Delta to spend the weeken...

A few months ago my sister-in-law Annie found good prices on flights from Ohio to Southern California and asked if we wanted to meet them in Disneyland for a few days. Of course we would! Our whole family had been trying to organize a time to get together before the summer, so my sister's family and my parents also came down to California for a week of fun. My parents rented a big house that we all could stay in and then we spent 3 days at Disneyland, 1 day at Legoland, and a day resting. Before we left McKay watched Dumbo and was so excited to ride on Dumbo. He rode on the ride 5-6 times and giggles constantly the whole time.  He also loved the carousel.  McKay had no fear at all of the characters and went right up to Mickey and started playing with him. As you can see by my poncho, the first day it rained all day. Not the best weather, but it made for very short lines and we got to ride everything we wanted to.  We also ran into goofy and McKay ran rig...