Welcome, Summer!

Oh how we have waited for the sunshine!

We are so happy to be going to the park again as a family in the evenings after dinner.  We love to go out and play outdoors.  Thankfully, Tommy's arm has been healing nicely and we are not feeling like we have to follow right behind him always.  Logan discovered if he takes his little remote quadcopter and flies it down the path in front of us the kids will chase it and he and I can actually walk at a normal pace.  If you have never taken a walk with a 2 and 4 year old you will not know that it is a constant push to keep them walking and not get side tracked.

I can't believe it took us this long but we finally went to Logan's new office to visit and see what it is like.  He started work at Fresh Consulting in February and it is now June.  I was really impressed, it was very professional looking but was definitely different from his last job.  We had to talk quietly because everyone were at open desks working, instead of getting to be as loud as we wanted in Logan's old closed door office.  The kids favorite part was the phone booth, a sound proof box for anyone to go if they want to make a phone call so they don't disturb the other workers.  I think I want one for my house... with a padlock... to lock myself into...  Logan wants one for my parents house because whenever we go there he says it is to loud to work! Haha!

We got a surprise visit from my dad and brother Carl on Saturday!  Carl had mistakenly thought his tournament was in Spokane but it was really in Seattle so they came over after one of his games and brought us some Bohem's Chocolates.  My dad loves that place and I am glad it is only 5 minutes from our home.  Elsy and my dad had a good wrestling match.  Sadly, Carl was elbowed in the face really bad and they were worried he had fractured his skull.  When they showed up he had a huge shiner on his cheek and eye.  He lay on the couch with some ice while they were here.  They ended up going home instead of to the rest of his games because he was in so much pain, but we were happy to see them!

While my dad was over I noticed some little bites taken out of our strawberries in the planter.  I was pretty bummed because I had been anxiously watching the strawberries grow and now they were all bitten out of.  Later that night Logan and the kids saw a little mouse on our third story porch!  They sat and watched it until it ran away.

That night Logan went to the store and picked up a few mouse traps.  It was a warm day and that evening as we sat with the sliding glass door open (the screen was closed) we heard the trap go off.  Logan went out to find we had caught two in one trap!!  Eeeek!  Sadly one was still alive and Logan put a board over it and stomped it dead with his big rain boots on.  As we sat there afterward we heard the traps go off two more times before bed!  We caught four in the matter of about 2 hours.  By morning we had caught 6! Ewww ew ew.

We went and helped clean the church on Saturday!  The kids were the window washers.

After Logan treated us to some yummy treats at Panera!  Sadly I had already finished my pastery before we decided to take these big bit pictures! Haha!

Little Elsy finally fit into the dress my mom made for her about two and a half years ago!  She was so excited to wear it and twirled all around.  She told me she wanted to wear it forever.  

Elsy has gotten to be so dramatic.  Even now I can here her in the other room with Cache, the neighbor boy, and she is saying dramatically, "Get in now!" as I hear Cache panting and wailing.  "Are you okay down there?!"  "I can't talk, I can't see!"  "Then you say, WHoooa!!!"  Haha, they are the best of friends and we are just going to all cry when they move away. :(

Elsy loves to tell stories and has the best imagination.  Yesterday we got into the car and for the entire drive home she told us about the 'dreams' she had last night and numbered them all.  "And number 11 dream I fell down a hill, rolled into the water, and got eaten by a shark!  And number 12 dream I fell into a garbage can.  And number 13 dream a bug flew into my eye!  And number 14 dream...." I was amazed at her ability to just come up with things so fast.  When we pulled into our parking spot she said she was all done.  Tommy cried out for more, "More dreams!"

Tommy put on Logan's rain boots and they came up to his hips and then some.  He has also become a little ham and loves to talk in silly voices.  I wish I could explain to you how they sound but I know I cant.  He mostly makes says them in a deep, gravely, curt and choppy way.  He will even say his prayers this way but we are trying to teach him to be more reverent.

Elsy had her last day of Joy School!!  She has just gotten so big lately I can't believe it.  She is so beautiful too, inside and out.

We had a lot of fun with Joy School this year.  We didn't pay for the actual Joy School curriculum, we just called it that.  Really it was just a glorified playgroup that met twice a week where we would Pinterest ideas how to teach a letter a week.  I really had a hard time deciding if I should have her do it because I really didn't think she needed it.  We ended up doing it because she just loves her friends so much!  Toward the end of the school year I thought more and more that I just didn't want her to be away from me so much, though.  I think for Tommy, and for any other possible future children, we will only do one year of preschool.  Maybe I will do a once a week play date rotation or something instead.  Next year for Elsy's preschool I got a group of moms together and we are going to be doing something called Mother Goose Time, which is a curriculum you pay for and they send all the lesson plans and materials in the mail to you.  I was pretty adamant that we only do two days a week.  I just personally feel like kids should be in the home as much as possible when they are really young.  So many times these days kids are being taken out of the home and being taught by people other than their mothers and fathers at earlier and earlier ages.  I feel like it is my responsibility to teach my children the things they should learn before kindergarten (academics) as well as morals and life lessons.  We were really prayerful about what we should do specifically for our family.  We felt good about and decided to do cohorts with other moms that share our religious beliefs so we can feel comfortable sending Elsy there to learn so she can build up a sure foundation before she goes into the public school system where there are many other different morals and beliefs others have that we may or may not agree with.  Kids these days are bombarded by things I never was at their age and I am working hard to help mine build a testimony before they set out on their own, no matter how short or long the time period.  Logan and I are also working hard at developing our relationships with our kids so hopefully if they come across something unfamiliar in the schools (or elsewhere) they can feel comfortable talking to us and asking us about it.



For example, this last week I just ordered a book called "Good Pictures, Bad Pictures Jr."  It is an introduction to teaching your children about pornography, what it is, how it effects their body, and how they should respond if they see it.  It is an amazing book!  There is another book, "Good Pictures, Bad Pictures" and it is for the age of 6+.  The Jr. version is for preschool aged kids.  We are trying to help set our kids up for success so that when they see or hear things outside our home (or even inside if they have access to the computer) they will know where the Lord stands on the issue, as well as where we stand as a family (and hopefully there isn't a difference!)  A friend from my last ward, Brittany Willis, once shared with me that she felt like if her kids could remember the first time she talked with them about sexual education, then she didn't teach them soon enough.  I was so impressed by that idea that we have adopted it into our own home.  We try to have open conversations about private parts in our home, about their function and why they are private and sacred.  We talk about them in happy conversations so they will not grow up thinking those parts and the feelings that come with them are bad.  I heard on a podcast recently that your sexuality of itself is neutral, it's neither good nor bad, but it is the circumstances that you access it that make it good or bad.  That is something I am really trying to teach my kids, and yes, they are 2 and 4 and I am already teaching them because if they remember the first time I taught them, then I didn't teach them soon enough.

We often carpool with Cache and I just thought the two of them looked so cute skipping along to get in the car for their last day.   It is amazing how strong friendships can be even at such a young age!

Love these kiddos! Ella, Haley, Elsy, and Cache.

While Elsy was at her last day of Joy School we went in for our last day of Tommy's hard cast.  Thankfully Logan could come help out!  Tommy sat on his lap the whole time and Logan was a major comfort to him.  It is so interesting how Logan and I are a comfort to our kids in different ways.

We talked a lot about what getting his cast off would look, sound, and feel like.  It paid off because he giggled quite a bit while they cut off his cast.  However, I hadn't talked to him a bit about what they would do after because I didn't want him to have to much anxiety.  So after the cast was off we sat him down and explained to him that they were going to remove his stitches and pull out his pins.  

He was very serious the whole time but didn't cry a bit!  I am glad I never saw the pins sticking out of his elbow until right before they came out.  I had no idea they stuck out that far!!  Tommy just stared at his arm while Dr. Moen pulled out each stitch.  And then we distracted him with a movie while she quickly pulled out the pins.  He cried out for each one and then calmed right down with his pacifier.  The doctor said she had never had a kid his age act so well.  Apparently there is usually a lot of kicking and screaming.  I was so relieved, all our prayers paid off.

They cut his cast into a splint and gave us an ace bandage to hold it in place.  We couldn't submerge his arm for 5 more days but we finally have been able to bathe him and finally give him a hair cut!  His hair was sooooo long!  We are now working with him to use his arm more and regularly take off the splint for eating, playing blocks, watching shows, or when he sleeps.  He still cant straighten or bend his arm fully but he is slowly getting his strength back.

The very next morning we said goodbye to Logan and headed for the Tri-Cities to help with wedding preparations for my sister Kelsy's wedding!  We were sad to leave Logan and he was sad we left. :(

Basically this is what I did all week.  Kelsy was set on having waffles served at her wedding and she put my mom and I in charge of the food.  We decided we would make regular, fresh waffles at the reception and have a fun topping table.  I also decided we needed some different kinds of waffle cookies.  Sadly, those take forever to make because you can only make 4 at a time and they cook for 3 minutes each... so (4 x 1,000,000) x 3 if you are a math person... and if you are a math person then maybe you will probably see some sort of flaw in my equation because I am definitely not a math person... I'm just trying to get a point across. :P  We made three different kinds of waffle cookies and they were all so yummy!

Chocolate Chip Waffle Cookies - These were my personal favorites!

Sugar Cookie Waffles - We dipped these in white chocolate.

Pizzelles - My cousin Alicia's husband, Grant, as well as my brother Carl LOVED these.  I watched Grant walk by several times and take stacks of at least 8 at a time... and he did that several times haha!

My kids love being at Grandma's house!  They had this big, inflatable turtle that Tommy called his pirate ship.  He played on it all week.  I would find him just laying on it with the head as his pillow.  

For the first time in a while everyone was home!  All my siblings, all the spouses, and all the grand kids were there.  While we were getting ready for the wedding about once a day we would set the kids on the couch for a movie.  There are getting to be quite a few of them!  They would run back and forth and around the loop in my parents house all screaming.  (This is why Logan says it is to loud to get any work done!)

Elsy and I went on a little mini date to the hair salon and got our hair cut! Elsy has only gotten her hair cut one time in her life, I am ashamed to say.  She had so much fun but still wanted her hair to be long.  My cousin Rebekah did such a good job with her and gave her the cutest trim.  I love it!  She also gave my hair a little trim, too.  I love that as well.

Right afterward we drove to the church to help decorate and when we got there Logan was there!  He surprised us by coming a day early.  He had worked so hard to get in all his hours and made it in time to help with all the wedding decorating.  It was so good to see him.  Logan and I rarely spend time away from each other overnight, this was the first time in over a year, so it was fun to be back together.

Kelsy and Brett decided to have their wedding reception the night before the wedding instead of after.  It actually worked out fine for us!  Since our family was in charge of the reception it was nice to have that major stress out of our minds when we went in to the temple the next day.

Photo cred to Leisha Montoya Photography, the following photos are mixed with hers and mine.. lets just say you can tell who the professional is ;)

Here are my lovely cookies on display!  These are the chocolate chip waffle cookies and the waffle sugar cookies.

And these are the pizzelles.  Yum!  We discovered if you covered the pizzelles with strawberries and then powdered sugar or whipped cream it was just divine.  They taste almost like a waffle cone does only thinner and crispier.



Me hiding behind the waffle makers in the corner!



Elsy just loves Ezra to death!

I was sad because Logan and I didn't get to dance during the "First Dance" because our kids were hanging off of us crying.  But Elsy loved the daddy daughter dance! Haha!








Logan set up a movie for the kids in the Primary Room.  It grew from four kids to like 20 very rapidly.  But it was nice to not have to worry about them while we bustled around the kitchen and took pictures and stuffs.



The next morning we decided to take family pictures together since it was the last time we would all be together for probably the next three years. Since we were already all dressed up for the wedding, Kelsy and Brett were kind enough to let us snap a few photos together really quickly.  Logan did some great editing so we would all be smiling in one shot! ;)

About two hours later was the wedding!  We kept the kids clean, pretty, and still by playing Mario Kart to keep their attention!

The ceremony was beautiful!  After we all gathered outside to wait for the newlyweds to emerge...









The gathered group.  They would cheer for everyone who came out! Haha... I don't know how appropriate that was though, haha!

Waiting to take pictures was a long process but the kids kept themselves busy.  Poor Davey Boy was completely drenched by picture time!

Playing with rocks to pass the time!

This weekend really was bitter sweet.  We were so happy for and proud of Kelsy for being married in the temple.  She looked beautiful kneeling across the alter from Brett.  My grandpa Volmer got to seal them and the room was packed with loved ones.  I felt so many emotions while we were in the sealing room together.  That was the room Logan and I got married in.  It was such a sweet and comforting feeling.

The bitter part was that the whole family parted ways one right after the other.  Kelsy left on her honeymoon to Canada and would be moving out of my parents house (obviously haha!).  Lenise left only a few hours later for the summer to be an EFY Counselor.  The next morning Sharee's family packed into their car to move to Texas.  They lived at my parents for the last year while Steve was doing clinical rotations.  And then we left that evening as well.  My parents household went from 11 people living there (not counting us or it would be 15!) to four in a little over 24 hours.  Everyone was sad.  New phases of life can be exciting and daunting at the same time.

We came back to the rain. :(



We had a mini-graduation for Elsy's Joy School group.  It was mostly just an excuse to eat yummy food right?  The kids had a blast jumping on the trampoline and each kid got a spotlight done on them.  We are so proud of Elsy!  She is so smart and sweet!

My birthday was on Monday!  I am now 27.  I can't believe it.  I am just grateful I am not 30 yet.  I think that will definitely be a birthday that I cry on haha!  We kept it simple.  That night was Elsy's graduation and I mostly spent the day unpacking, doing laundry, and the like.  My only request was that we watch Peter Pan that night.  It is one of my comfort movies, I really just love it.  I get all the feels like I used to when it came out when I was in middle school... although I am no longer in love with Jeremy Sumpter haha!  Here are some of my favorite quotes from the movie:

"For what troubles a grown up, will never trouble a child."

"A kiss?  But what's it for?"
"It is for the greatest adventure of all.  They that find it have slipped in and out of heaven."
"Find what?"
"The one the kiss belongs to."

"Father, brave?"
"There are many different kinds of bravery.  There's the bravery of thinking of others before ones self.  Now your father has never brandished a sword or fired a pistol, thank heavens!  But he's made many sacrifices for his family, and put away many dreams."
"Where did he put them?"
"He put them in a drawer.  And sometimes, late at night, we take them out and admire them.  But it gets harder and harder to close the drawer.  But he does.  And that is why he is brave."

"How old are you, Peter?"
"Quite young." (This is the one I am going to start saying haha!)

"George!  The window is closed!  It must always be open for them, always always!"

"Aye, that is a kiss.  A powerful thing."

"To live would be an awfully big adventure."

Anyway, we are total movie junkies over here.  I didn't include all the totally awesome quotes that my sisters and I always quote to each other (such as "I can feel it in my bones!!" or "And isn't she just first class!" but that is a whole other type of quote list).

My neighbor Andrea invited us to join their family at the Children's Museum.  We had so much fun.  Elsy totally ignored me for this picture but I had a good laugh because Cache totally wanted to do a Prom picture hold. Lol!

I feel like life has gotten back to normal.  We are settling into some old routines, Tommy can get around more, we are all healthy again, and the weather is back to being rainy.  I feel like life hasn't been this chill in months!  Our biggest scare this week has been the mice.  We have now caught 13 on our third story balcony.  Thankfully no signs of them inside!  We decided to get rid of our bird feeder since that seems to be the main source of attention.  But while talking to my friend the other night she informed me of deer mice and the hantavirus.  Apparently there have been a few deaths in the area from this deadly disease the deer mice spread.  She told me to make sure to check if the mice we were catching had a white belly.  Sure enough, the next morning the mouse in the trap had the telltale white belly of a deer mouse.  I may have gone a little into panic mode.  Hantavirus is an air born virus that is found in the poo and pee of deer mice.  Its basically got a 40% mortality rate if you catch it.  I was so worried because Logan had just been throwing the dead ones off the balcony (the bottom floor's balcony is 4 ft off the ground so its okay haha) and hadn't been using gloves or masks or anything!  I am now worried about mouse defecation in my strawberries and other garden plants out there as well as if the kids are playing with chalk or anything out there!  Eeek!  

Thankfully Logan took initiative.  He sprayed down the whole porch with a bleach solution and swept everything clean.  We threw away a lot of the stuff that was out on the porch and then he looked all through our storage closet for signs of mice nests.  He thankfully didn't find any.  We are sadly also getting rid of our little garden out there. :(  I am SO sad to see it go, but we really just don't want anything attracting the mice!  I spent so much time getting that all put together it is such a shame to see it go to waste.  My friend Shaeli kindly offered to take our strawberry plants so that makes me feel a lot better, that they aren't all going to waste.  Things are a lot cleaner out there but I still don't feel safe letting the kids out there right now.  We asked for the complex to send for an exterminator, but I might have to be a little more persistent if I want something like that done.  Ew.  Gross.  Yuck.