This was a banner morning for the Madsens.
It started with me waking up with swollen eyelids again. Wait, did you know that was a thing now? Well, it is. Last week I woke up with hugely swollen eyelids that itched and hurt and ALLERGIES ARE THE WORST.
Anywho, they weren't that bad this morning, but I could tell they were on their way, so I rubbed some hydrocortisone on them and then went to put in some allergy eye drops. Only, in my non-glasses-wearing state I grabbed the wrong bottle and accidentally put in a drop of ear wax removal stuff.
Nothing like a little peroxide in your eye to wake you up in the morning.
Five minutes of a saline flush and my eye was not trying to jump out of my skull.
Things were fine getting Spencer out the door. But then the others woke up. (We have two morning shifts in getting kids out the door. It is not fun.)
Cole decided to FREAK OUT about having to sort laundry this morning. You know, only a job he's been doing twice a week for at least 3 years. But today he just couldn't do it. He yelled and hollered and screamed and carried on until I simply told him that if he couldn't sort his laundry, then it wouldn't be washed and he'd be stinky and the kids at school would smell him. Also, no computer.
Suddenly he remembered how to do laundry.
Miracles still happen, people.
Then it was Josh's turn. He frantically searched the house for his shoes. This is not uncommon at all, as the boy is apparently physically incapable of putting his shoes away. I don't think I've ever seen him do it without a reminder or of his own accord. I'm serious.
So he's searching and complaining and I'm ignoring him because the dang shoes always turn up. (Sometimes I find them, and I then I get to take $1 out of his allowance. I have earned at least $10 from this child this summer.) Then he comes up to me, sad and ashamed.
"I think I left them outside."
We both look out the window.
Sure enough, there are his shoes, out by the neighbor's trampoline.
Ordinarily this would not be a problem. But it rained last night. Poured. In fact, I'm pretty surprised they didn't blow away.
So I go out to get his shoes and am surprised at how dry they are. I mean, they're wet, but not soaked. Probably because they're so lightweight and have that fancy moisture-wicking fabric.
I tell Josh he's just gonna have to find some other shoes. He wants to wear the wet ones - he has gym today and HAS to wear tennis shoes. I tell him he can't wear them because they'll stretch out and get ruined and I'm not buying him new shoes, these are only 2 weeks old. He looks really sad.
Then he blames me for this situation. Because, you know, I totally MADE him leave his shoes outside last night. I'm always doing that. And he NEVER leaves his shoes where they're not supposed to be. How could I even suggest the thing? And, according to Josh, "You should have reminded me!"
At this point I about walked out the door, never to return.
But then I remember there is such a thing as a dryer. And we have one. So I toss them in, with the warning that they may not be dry in time.
They get dry in time.
Only the child doesn't put them on when I give them to him. He only rushes to put them on mere minutes before the bus arrives, despite the fact that I had warned him the shoes would probably be a little tight and the laces might be a little weird. Which they are. Which is my fault. Of course.
Fortunately, the bus arrived to save the boy from a grisly fate.
And now I'm home alone, with no one to blame me for anything.
Time to go hide favorite toys and shirts, drop toothbrushes on the floor, and mess up the kids' computers. Because if I'm gonna be blamed for something, it might as well actually be my fault!
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Roadtrip 2016 - Provo City Center Temple
On the morning of the reunion we had a special breakfast from Hruska's Kolaches, which are Czech pastries. We picked them up and ate at Pioneer Park, just down the street. Then we went down to the Provo City Center temple to have a look. It's such a pretty temple! I remember attending regional conferences and other meetings there when it was a tabernacle as a student at BYU. Turning it into a temple after the fire was truly an inspired idea.
We of course had to take a few family photos. Because that's what you do when you're at the temple!
Cole and Spencer liked the beehive decor.
And Josh really liked this door for some reason.
Poor Tess. She loved this fountain, but it was just so darn bright!
Don't we totally look like a newlywed couple? (No. No we don't. We look like a couple with 4 kids who have been on the road for 2 weeks. That's because that's what we were.)
Even the hinges on the doors were beautiful!
The temple's main entrance is actually underground in the underground parking area. Which is where we stopped to rest because it was already so hot that morning! Sheesh!
Soon we were back at Dad and Susie's house, packing up and getting ready to head out to the reunion!
We of course had to take a few family photos. Because that's what you do when you're at the temple!
Cole and Spencer liked the beehive decor.
And Josh really liked this door for some reason.
Poor Tess. She loved this fountain, but it was just so darn bright!
Don't we totally look like a newlywed couple? (No. No we don't. We look like a couple with 4 kids who have been on the road for 2 weeks. That's because that's what we were.)
Even the hinges on the doors were beautiful!
The temple's main entrance is actually underground in the underground parking area. Which is where we stopped to rest because it was already so hot that morning! Sheesh!
Soon we were back at Dad and Susie's house, packing up and getting ready to head out to the reunion!
Roadtrip 2016 - This is the Place
On the 26th we went to This the Place Monument up in Salt Lake with Deidra and her kids. It was so great to see her! (She had a really bad cold, so kudos to her for soldiering through!)
It was HOT again. Even at 10am we were sweating out in the sun. I was worried that the kids wouldn't be interested in anything since we had just been to Nauvoo a few weeks earlier, but it turned out okay. As Deidra said, Nauvoo is about Eastern Pioneers - Western Pioneers are way different!
The kids all got to ride a pony, which was very exciting. Well, Spencer didn't, because he's a stick in the mud. Also, he was bigger than the ponies. Excuses excuses.
This boy. Oy. At least Deidra got to see what he is truly like lately this this phase he's going through. (Not that I think she thought I was making all of my stories about Josh up. But still, it's very different to experience Punk Josh in person!) Oh Josh. Josh Josh Josh. Some day I'll look back at this phase and laugh. Laugh that I didn't kill you. And then I'll give you a hug.
"How was the pony ride, Cole?" "It was... bumpy!"
Millie and Tess in a pioneer school. The slates and chalk were fascinating.
Poor Josh got picked to model the dunce cap. I think this punishment was for not learning your lessons correctly.
It was pretty funny. (See? He can be so good natured and easy going. Some times.)
Tess got to show another type of punishment. (I think in this example she was late to school.)
She looks so little up there, holding those heavy books! She didn't last too long.
Then there's Cole. He got pretend paddled, I think for pretend fighting. I was tempted to see if the gift shop had paddles. You know, for the ride home...
We never got to have a Brigham Donut, mainly because we had a decent picnic lunch and it was so hot - fresh donuts just weren't that tempting. But I loved the sign. Perhaps I'll have to make my own like it for our doughnut party.
We got to ride a train/tram thingy around to the different sections of the pioneer village. It really was pretty big.
Miss Tess and Miss Millie. Oh, how I love these two girls! I also love how they both tilt their head in the same way when hamming it up for a picture.
This was the first time Tess chose an outfit specifically for an outing. She really wanted Millie to see her shirt.
We got to pan for gold, which was really cool. The kids had a blast and we spent quite a bit of time there.
I'm pretty sure the best job in the park is throwing the fool's gold into the little stream each morning. We came home with enough iron pyrite for each of the kids to have their own little glass jar full of the stuff. (Because when Grandpa is an entomologist, you have easy access to things like little glass jars with lids.)
We ended the outing at the small splashpad. The kids had a glorious time running around, begging snacks, and drinking the gross splashpad water.
I'm so proud of myself for remembering to take a picture of the two of us before we left! Look at us cute moms with our big sunglasses, pulled back hair, and sweaty faces. We stylin.
Also, we have amazing cute kids. Mercy.
That evening we met up with some other old friends of ours - Brian and Angela Bradford. Angela works in Susie's department at school, so Susie was able to get their address for us. We walked to their house, with cookies as a peace offering for showing up unannounced. It was so great to see them and catch up! They have a fun family and our kids soon made themselves at home, playing with kids and their toys. We tried convincing them to move to Indiana, and they tried to get us to move to Provo. No one's moving anytime soon, so I guess we'll just have to keep them on our ever-growing list of people to visit when we trek out west.
It was HOT again. Even at 10am we were sweating out in the sun. I was worried that the kids wouldn't be interested in anything since we had just been to Nauvoo a few weeks earlier, but it turned out okay. As Deidra said, Nauvoo is about Eastern Pioneers - Western Pioneers are way different!
The kids all got to ride a pony, which was very exciting. Well, Spencer didn't, because he's a stick in the mud. Also, he was bigger than the ponies. Excuses excuses.
This boy. Oy. At least Deidra got to see what he is truly like lately this this phase he's going through. (Not that I think she thought I was making all of my stories about Josh up. But still, it's very different to experience Punk Josh in person!) Oh Josh. Josh Josh Josh. Some day I'll look back at this phase and laugh. Laugh that I didn't kill you. And then I'll give you a hug.
"How was the pony ride, Cole?" "It was... bumpy!"
Millie and Tess in a pioneer school. The slates and chalk were fascinating.
Poor Josh got picked to model the dunce cap. I think this punishment was for not learning your lessons correctly.
It was pretty funny. (See? He can be so good natured and easy going. Some times.)
Tess got to show another type of punishment. (I think in this example she was late to school.)
She looks so little up there, holding those heavy books! She didn't last too long.
Then there's Cole. He got pretend paddled, I think for pretend fighting. I was tempted to see if the gift shop had paddles. You know, for the ride home...
We never got to have a Brigham Donut, mainly because we had a decent picnic lunch and it was so hot - fresh donuts just weren't that tempting. But I loved the sign. Perhaps I'll have to make my own like it for our doughnut party.
We got to ride a train/tram thingy around to the different sections of the pioneer village. It really was pretty big.
Miss Tess and Miss Millie. Oh, how I love these two girls! I also love how they both tilt their head in the same way when hamming it up for a picture.
This was the first time Tess chose an outfit specifically for an outing. She really wanted Millie to see her shirt.
We got to pan for gold, which was really cool. The kids had a blast and we spent quite a bit of time there.
I'm pretty sure the best job in the park is throwing the fool's gold into the little stream each morning. We came home with enough iron pyrite for each of the kids to have their own little glass jar full of the stuff. (Because when Grandpa is an entomologist, you have easy access to things like little glass jars with lids.)
We ended the outing at the small splashpad. The kids had a glorious time running around, begging snacks, and drinking the gross splashpad water.
I'm so proud of myself for remembering to take a picture of the two of us before we left! Look at us cute moms with our big sunglasses, pulled back hair, and sweaty faces. We stylin.
Also, we have amazing cute kids. Mercy.
That evening we met up with some other old friends of ours - Brian and Angela Bradford. Angela works in Susie's department at school, so Susie was able to get their address for us. We walked to their house, with cookies as a peace offering for showing up unannounced. It was so great to see them and catch up! They have a fun family and our kids soon made themselves at home, playing with kids and their toys. We tried convincing them to move to Indiana, and they tried to get us to move to Provo. No one's moving anytime soon, so I guess we'll just have to keep them on our ever-growing list of people to visit when we trek out west.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Roadtrip 2016 - Dane & Jenica's
One night we spent the evening at Dane and Jenica's condo. We spent the evening eating pizza and playing the LONGEST game of Garbage ever. Seriously, it took so long! But fun. But long.
Our nephew Trevor and his girlfriend, Vanessa, and baby, Aurora, were there, too. What a cute baby!
The kids had fun with Dane and Jenica's dogs. They would lie like this in the hallway and then someone would throw a ball and the dogs would jump over them. To them, this was HILARIOUS.
It was pretty fun until someone got a paw in the eye. And yet they kept playing...
After all the fun and games we ended the evening at a little splashpad in Lehi. The kids had so much fun!
A lot of communities in Utah are adding features like this to their parks. I wish Lafayette would follow suit.
We told the kids to just get a little wet. Of course Cole and Tess were soaked by the time we left. The only people surprised by this were Cole and Tess.
This is totally random, but I just had to take a picture of Tess sleeping in the Harry Potter closet under the stairs. She sleeps in the craziest positions still! She loved sleeping under there, until she found a spider. Then I had to do lots of spider checks to make sure she didn't have any 8 legged friends at bedtime. Oh the irony, what with the Spiderman sheets and all.
Our nephew Trevor and his girlfriend, Vanessa, and baby, Aurora, were there, too. What a cute baby!
The kids had fun with Dane and Jenica's dogs. They would lie like this in the hallway and then someone would throw a ball and the dogs would jump over them. To them, this was HILARIOUS.
It was pretty fun until someone got a paw in the eye. And yet they kept playing...
A lot of communities in Utah are adding features like this to their parks. I wish Lafayette would follow suit.
We told the kids to just get a little wet. Of course Cole and Tess were soaked by the time we left. The only people surprised by this were Cole and Tess.
This is totally random, but I just had to take a picture of Tess sleeping in the Harry Potter closet under the stairs. She sleeps in the craziest positions still! She loved sleeping under there, until she found a spider. Then I had to do lots of spider checks to make sure she didn't have any 8 legged friends at bedtime. Oh the irony, what with the Spiderman sheets and all.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Roadtrip 2016 - Canyon and Madsens
A visit to Grandpa and Grandma's house isn't complete without a bath in the whirlpool tub!
We also went up Provo Canyon one day. (Poor Susie had to work, and I'm pretty sure my dad didn't mind having a quiet house for a while!) We forced our kids to have a picnic by the river. You'd have thought we were torturing them. We were torturing them - WATER with lunch?! Sandwiches?! The same chips we had yesterday?! What were we thinking!?!?
Josh worked through the pain by climbing up random concrete/rock sculptures.
And the mood lightened considerably when we saw this piece of fine art someone left in a flowerbed.
Then we tortured them some more by making them climb around Bridal Veil Falls. Remember how we went there last year and Cole FREAKED OUT BIG TIME the whole time?
He didn't do that this time. In fact, he had a great time and was quite pleased with himself.
I heard other kids wailing while I was climbing up. I felt sorry for their parents, but pretty pleased that - for once - it wasn't one of my kids making all of the racket.
I can't remember why Lance was pouting, but I'm 99.99% sure it was because one of the kids was being a punk. My money is on Josh had been complaining. (That was a pretty safe bet for most of the trip.)
The cold water felt so good in the heat!
The kids kept saying "Taking my picture!" So I obliged.
Tess looks like she's doing acrobats, but in reality she was just about to fall off the log. Fortunately, she didn't fall all the way in the water and stayed pretty dry.
This boy. He's been so good lately. Well, not this afternoon. This afternoon he punched Josh in the gut and refused to apologize and was super sassy to me. So now he's in his room. But on the trip? So good!
On the drive out of the canyon I remarked that it was crazy we had never taken the kids to the BYU Creamery for cones. So we remedied that situation. No one complained about this part of the outing.
Except Josh. Because he complains about everything. But he didn't complain while his mouth was full of creamery goodness, so it was worth it. Also, at one point he remarked "I want to go to USB." I took us a few minutes realize he meant BYU. Go Cougs!
We told Spencer about how BYU hosts a ton of EFYs over the summer. I'm pretty sure he's sold on the idea for when he turns 14.
Miss Tess couldn't finish her generously sized kid cone, so Cole helped her out. He's always taking one for the team, that one.
That night we drove down to Mapleton to have dinner and celebrate Viggo's birthday at Laurie's son's house. (So that would make him and Lance step-brothers. Which is weird. But not? Whatever.)
It was a lovely evening, and our newest family members (Laurie's kids and Laurie herself) were gracious and kind. And very patient with my kids. Even when Tess had multiple meltdowns. (Jet lag, waterfall hiking, afternoon ice cream... all a bit too much.)
It was fun to see all of them and enjoy Viggo's birthday!
We also went up Provo Canyon one day. (Poor Susie had to work, and I'm pretty sure my dad didn't mind having a quiet house for a while!) We forced our kids to have a picnic by the river. You'd have thought we were torturing them. We were torturing them - WATER with lunch?! Sandwiches?! The same chips we had yesterday?! What were we thinking!?!?
Josh worked through the pain by climbing up random concrete/rock sculptures.
And the mood lightened considerably when we saw this piece of fine art someone left in a flowerbed.
Then we tortured them some more by making them climb around Bridal Veil Falls. Remember how we went there last year and Cole FREAKED OUT BIG TIME the whole time?
He didn't do that this time. In fact, he had a great time and was quite pleased with himself.
I heard other kids wailing while I was climbing up. I felt sorry for their parents, but pretty pleased that - for once - it wasn't one of my kids making all of the racket.
I can't remember why Lance was pouting, but I'm 99.99% sure it was because one of the kids was being a punk. My money is on Josh had been complaining. (That was a pretty safe bet for most of the trip.)
The cold water felt so good in the heat!
The kids kept saying "Taking my picture!" So I obliged.
Tess looks like she's doing acrobats, but in reality she was just about to fall off the log. Fortunately, she didn't fall all the way in the water and stayed pretty dry.
This boy. He's been so good lately. Well, not this afternoon. This afternoon he punched Josh in the gut and refused to apologize and was super sassy to me. So now he's in his room. But on the trip? So good!
On the drive out of the canyon I remarked that it was crazy we had never taken the kids to the BYU Creamery for cones. So we remedied that situation. No one complained about this part of the outing.
Except Josh. Because he complains about everything. But he didn't complain while his mouth was full of creamery goodness, so it was worth it. Also, at one point he remarked "I want to go to USB." I took us a few minutes realize he meant BYU. Go Cougs!
We told Spencer about how BYU hosts a ton of EFYs over the summer. I'm pretty sure he's sold on the idea for when he turns 14.
Miss Tess couldn't finish her generously sized kid cone, so Cole helped her out. He's always taking one for the team, that one.
That night we drove down to Mapleton to have dinner and celebrate Viggo's birthday at Laurie's son's house. (So that would make him and Lance step-brothers. Which is weird. But not? Whatever.)
It was a lovely evening, and our newest family members (Laurie's kids and Laurie herself) were gracious and kind. And very patient with my kids. Even when Tess had multiple meltdowns. (Jet lag, waterfall hiking, afternoon ice cream... all a bit too much.)
It was fun to see all of them and enjoy Viggo's birthday!
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