Box Houses

When the children stop getting along, I take it as a sign they need at least one of a few things: attention, to be active, to be creative, to be alone, something to do. 

Today, they needed almost all of these things. The early morning thunderstorm  caused us to miss swim practice, so they weren’t active. Two needed space from each other and were sent to read in separate rooms. The rest of us got started on something creative to do. 

We have a bunch of cardboard left in the garage from Aaron’s foosball table. I started putting a house together with a couple of the older children during nap time, and eventually he others joined in. Now they’re all outside playing in their house, adding elaborate details. They’ve been in a plane crash abd are stranded on an island. Reese is living in luxury with a fireplace and tv. Quincy, the pilot responsible for their crash, has banished herself to the dog house, complete with a leaky roof and mouse door. 

Water Day in Grandma Lady’s Backyard

At the end of last summer, my parents sent us this fun little blow up pool. We never opened it, so it sat in the guest room closet all school year, reminding us of warm days to come.  It was the first “fun thing” the children opted to do this summer. We took the fun to my parents’ flat backyard. The kids soaped up the little slide with an entire bottle of dish soap and turned the pool into a frothy foam bath, then had a water fight with super squirters, and spent hours getting sudsy in the summer sunshine. The twins were in sensory heaven and literally just rolled and rolled in the bubbles, lathering up their little arms and legs and hair.  Thanks for the fun gift, grandma and grandpa! 

Summer Bucket List

Swim team practice, frozen treats every day, concerts, grilling, lake parties, and time to learn how to turn boredom into creativity. Sure, the calendar still has therapy appointments and practices scheduled, but I feel like a completely different mother than a week ago. Today, I give thanks for seasons, variety, and time to slow down and enjoy each other, free of tests, deadlines and homework, and homework and deadlines and tests. 

Reese and National Junior Honor Society

Reese was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society today! Being part of this group was very important to her, and she took initiative to fill out the admission paperwork, and worked extremely hard all year to maintain her grades to qualify. Today, her English teacher told her, “Reese, I think you’ve worked harder tho year than I have.” 

I think I agree with that statement.  She is a scholar, indeed. The NJHS focuses on scholarship, citizenship, community service, and leadership. She submitted a 20 hour community service log, stayed on the honor roll, helped with the 6th grade school tours, and is an example of kindness to her peers.  All four in the top pic were/are Sunday school students of mine and they’ve got a place in my heart.   Proud of these kids for being their best selves!  

Aaron and Meg’s Day of Fun! Part 1

Aaron took a half day off work and we left the kids with my parents to go play in Tulsa for the day!  I googled places to eat and found a place called Bread & Butter, so that was an obvious first stop! The brought us a basket of warm bread and butter while they cooked our dinner. Could life get any better?! Nope! 

We had 2 unanticipated hours to kill before the concert, so we asked the waitresses what “must see” offerings downtown Tulsa had to offer a couple of tourists. They directed us 2 blocks south of the BOK center to The Center of the Universe. Well that sounded like bait we could not resist, so we headed off on the adventure. 

The center of the universe is an accoustic anomaly on a concrete bridge over the trains at the old Tulsa Union Station. There, brick pavers in a circular design pattern the ground around a concrete center.  It is said that apin drop  can be heard in the center, but not from the edge of the circle.  I marched up to the middle with very low expectations, and asked some passers by if this was it, “the center of the universe”. Mid sentence, I was shocked by my own voice amplified back at me! I was standing out in open air, but heard my own voice as if I was speaking into a megaphone. Super cool. 








Aaron, though amused, was less impressed. “This is the best Tulsa has to offer?” 

I rebutted that Tulsa ALSO had U2 to offer, which is something NWA has not come close to in our 12 year residency. But I know what he meant. If someone told me they had 2-3 hours to kill in the area, I could send them on 100 incredible and memorable adventures.  The waitresses had thought abd thoughg abd only had bars and the center of the universe to suggest.  Point: NWA.  

We checked out the Woody Guthrie museum, the old train depot which now hosts the Jazz Hall of Fame, the cloud sculpture, and a giant candy store that looks like Alice and Wonderland and a thousand millennial females threw up in there. Like a giant tea party for 20 year old women! I fell in love with an embroidered table cloth that was out as decor for cinco de mayo, and it was sadly the only thing in the store not for sale! It was beautiful though abd now I’m on the hunt for one of my own.  We people watched for awhile and eventually hopped in the mile long like at the BOK Center. 

Soren Plays Soccer

Soren’s season with Team Shock ended last Saturday with a bang! Soren scored a goal and did the cutest celebratory dance I’ve ever seen. Aaron posted the video on Instagram and I broke the internet watching it so many times. Look at that victory leap! 

Great season, Soren! 

Quincy and New Beginnings

Quincy and Reese attended Sugar Creek Ward New Beginnings, last night! The Young Women worked together to welcome the 2018 incoming Beehives and help them feel honored and special.  


The theme was Personal Progress is Sweet as Pie. The young women made really cute decorations of pies in each of the YW value colors and served pie for dessert. The class presidents spoke, along with Sister Allred (YW pres) and Bishop Conover, and Sister Blake (beehive leader). Cadence C, Quincy, and Kayla H were introduced to the young women and taught about how the program can lead them closer to Jesus Christ. 

Quincy’s December birthday means she won’t get to attend Girls Camp this summer with Cadence and Kayla and the other Beehives, but she looks forward to going next summer! She will be a lone girl in the 11 year old primary class for the Primary Program in the fall as well.  She’s very excited to advance from primary to Young Women and I have a feeling the last couple months will feel like a very loooooong wait.  Quincy is finishing up her Faith in God booklet and will hit the ground running on personal progress when she turns 12!  

Quincy, you are lovely. Welcome to Young Women! (almost) 

Awards for Quincy

Quincy came home with a certificate for most improved in Science, and two free tickets to a Naturals baseball game. On Friday, she was selected as Barker Middle School Bruin of the Month. Way to go, Q!  

Sloane’s Favorite Book

🤔🤔🤔 huh. 

Triple Threat

Oh these little triplets of mine are so naughty abd so fast! Yesterday they finished breakfast and as I put their cereal bowls into the dishwasher, I heard them on the stairs, which meant the gate was open. I went up after them and in less than 3 minutes, they had opened the game cabinet and duped out every puzzle we own into a massive puzzle piece snow storm. Only 3 puzzles survived and the rest were thrown away. There was just no coming back from that. Too difficult to tell which pieces went with which of over a dozen puzzles, and the time it would have taken to sort them is impossible to obtain. Even cleaning them up was tricky. Two would help and the third would sneakily dump out what had been collected. Little Esme was in sensory heaven and made snow angels on the floor.  When I lifted up the toy slide so they could gather the pieces underneath it, Adrian ran over to the stairs where I had piled up the bags for garbage, and shook the trashbags out like a pillowcase and thousands more puzzle pieces showered down the stairs like feathers in a pillow fight. It was just laughable. Sloane and Esme went downstairs and dumped chicken feed all over the dining room and as I gathered them to just get in the car to go to physical therapy, Adrian threw raw eggs off the bathroom counter! Naughty! And fast! In fact, as I typed this post, I looked st the bang monitor, abd the twins have both climbed out of their cribs and Adrian is emptying their dresser all over the room. Esme is snuggled inside the laundry basket meowing like a kitty.  

 These kids are so crazy together. Like a tiny tot ado of toddler destruction. And yet, in all their wild antics, they bring me and each other so much joy.  

Edit: I went downstairs to put the twins back to bed, and both had pooped. Potty training the triplets is going to be an adventure just like everything else has been with these little cabooses! I’m so glad they’re here and that they have each other.  

And now I’m going to go instal more child safety locks because while puzzles are mostly disposable abd replacable, other things are not. And my energy is not great at replenishing itself in the triple speed necessary to keep up! 

Soren Graduates Preschool

Soren’s preschool graduation was adorable! Where has the time gone?  I have been so lucky to have this sweet guy home an extra year, compliments of his August birthday. It’s been the best! He is very excited abd feels very ready to join the big leagues of Elementary School Kindergarten.  

Soren’s class performed a few songs and skits and Soren played the role of Mortimer in the skit adapted from the Robert Munsch book.  Soren was so cute abd everyone erupted with laughter when he threw his hands in the air and shouted his lines, “Clang! Clang! Rattle! Bing! Bang! Gonna make my noise all day!”  

Another highlight was when the school director called out our big kids and invited all the Bella Vista Preschool alumni up to the stage to sing Tony Chestnut with the kids. Reese gave me a look of death but accepted the invite. During the line “and his sister Eileen” all of the children lean on one foot. Quincy leaned into Reese, who lost balance and leaned into Corbin, who also fell and knocked down several children like dominoes.  It was like that scene in Home Alone 2 when Kevin pushed Buzz and the whole Children’s choir tumbles down.  They pulled themselves together before the reaction took out the entire class, but it was close, and they were mortified. Everyone else (myself included) found it hilarious.  What a fun abd funny night. 

Clang clang rattle bing bang! Congratulations, Soren! Your big day has arrived! You are Kindergarten bound! 

Meg is 36

I turned 36 a couple weeks ago. On my birthday, I went for a quick run of laps up and down Primrose Lane a few times between when Reese and Quincy get on the bus. Then, the girl who cuts my hair texted that she had an opening that morning, what luck! My parents wonderfully watched my little ones and I got some fresh color put on my head.  On my way home, I decided I wanted a big fat delicious birthday cookie, and had heard good things about the cookies at Markum&Fitz, so I stopped in there, but they weren’t open. I took a mental rain check and owe myself a big, overpriced cookie for no reason other than love of cookies. 

After the babies were settled for a nap, my dad came over and offered to sit at the house and play a game with Soren so my mom and I could go out for a birthday lunch. Yes, please! I’d heard good things about salads at Newks so we checked it out, but due to the nationwide Romaine recall, all the salads were arugula and other spicy weeds and cabbage type blends.  My mom suggested a new fave of hers and it was just right. We ate artichoke Florentine soup and chicken salad on cranberry pecan bread at Neighbors Mill. Yummy pebble ice to snack on, too.  

I stopped at crepes Paulette and got myself a Rikiki with strawberries and chocolate ganache to go. 

We had soccer that night, but both boys had a bye/practice, so I had them skip and we went out for  half price family entrees at Johnny Carinos. No cooking or dishes? Yessss! 

I put out my favorite dish towels that I bought myself “just because” in February. They are so cheerful. 




For Sunday dinner, my dad smoked ribs and I ate all of em. Alllll the ribs. (Ok Not really, but I ate enough to get the meat sweats! They’re the best ribs!) my friend Kristi joined us and we ate pie and helped Reese study study study for a world religions exam and Quincy brainstorm cardboard shoes for a recycle art project for school. 


On Wednesday, Aaron took a half day off and we went to Tulsa. Hours alone together! That was completely wonderful and worthy of another blog post of its own. 

On Friday, kasey came over and tucked babies into bed  and Aaron and I went on a date. The laptop died and we needed a replacement. Thank you so much for exactly what we needed, Kasey! 

Here I am at 36. Y’all I feel like I totally rocked my 20s, but so far, my 30s have sort of kicked my trash. For 36 I will try on a confident thought and choose to believe that I’m rocking my 30s too, and this is what that looks like. 







These pics make just me laugh every time I look at them because they are SO typical of day to day.  It’s good to be Meg Willardson!