It kinda worked!

Ok so our summoning charm didn’t exactly bring us summer, but we are on day 3 of gorgeous 70+ degree afternoons. The twins are quarantined due to contact exposure at school (more on that later when I can speak about being forced to covid test children with trauma without breathing fire about how horrific that situation was), so they’ve only been able to play in the back yard. Soren and Sloane set up hammocks out front during naptime and lived their best lives!  

Difficult to believe it was -20* last week, and in the 70’s this week.  I love cozy snow days. But the sunshine definitely gave all of us some life. 

We are counting down the days until spring break. Today’s weather was so wonderful! 

The hard part

Our foster case is in appeal (again). 

The appellants were granted extensions and took almost 9 months to file the briefing. 

We get 30 days to respond. 

This includes hiring an additional attorney who specializes in appeals, and dissect the 1400 page transcript from the hearing. 

The appeal itself (minus the zillion pages of footnotes and cross references to the transcripts) is 192 pages long. I read that, today, and relived every terrible, gaslighting, vilifying, inhumane part of this what-could-be-a beautiful and redemptive adoption story. 

It’s all just so unfathomable to me that children can be cast as casualties in the vindication and self aggrandizement of a system.  

If the system WORKED, there would be no NEED for vindication or aggrandizing. 

Be kind to me for the next 30 days, and grant me grace.  We are quite literally surviving a very calculated and very personal attack. On my family, my mothering, my intelligence, my home, my stability, my religion, my ability to keep children safe.  

I cannot legally share details, so please don’t ask. Just, be kind. And pray for my family, please. 

That’s all. 

Worth a try

“Accio Summertime!” 

Snow

The hens don’t agree with the weather and are refusing to leave the coop. We coaxed them down below where their water storage is by giving them the ends of a bunch of romaine lettuce I chopped up.  We only got 3 eggs yesterday. 

Corbin and Soren had some calls from neighbors who hired them to come shovel driveways. 

I’ve found many snowballs inside coat pockets when hanging up the mountain of sopping wet bibs, hats, gloves, scarves, and jackets at the end of the day. 

My countertop herbs looked pretty pathetic until I moved them to the hearth. The thyme was too far gone before I realized it was frozen in the windowsill (oops) but the basil is loving the fireplace heat. 

Arkansas going through some kind of identity crisis right now.  We’re trying to be there for her and get her through it by baking breads and desserts, cuz that’s what good friends, do. 

We joined the cul de sac for a bonfire in the snow, this evening. 



Jenna and Sadie—these two are cute and fun and loving moms. These women are wild and free mamas and my boys are “Primrose lane lost boys” with their sons. They also have littles for my triple threat to run wild with. We visit, the kids play and bring us live animals. We mend owies and send them back out to play some more.  

Listen.  “Feels like -18” is no. Joke.  It got down to -20  and still has not been above freezing. We are extra grateful to have had more firewood delivered Saturday afternoon before the 2nd wave of arctic blast hit us! 



Corbin says “Accio Summertime!” 




Pink bubble baths x 3.

Valentine’s Day

NWA is feeling the polar vortex and we’ve been snowed in all week. Aside from it being really difficult to manage homeschool, 3 virtual learners in “crisis learning”, aaron working, Zoom therapy sessions (instead of me dropping off the twins for OT and running an errand or doing car school with Sloane, I’m now needed to do therapy WITH the twins for a 45 min session each. So instead of having 45 min to squeeze in productivity, I lose that 45 min, plus I’m now tied to zoom for 90 minutes of zoom with 1/3 while the other two free range 😬..it’s tricky) plus aaron working from home so I need to keep kids quiet and we’ve had unreliable power and spotty WiFi. Figuring out all the time/responsibility balance management has been nuts, but literally everything else been awesome! 

I helped one of my mom’s life long best friends, (and my friend, too) prepare a relief society lesson about ministering angels.  I could write a whole book of stories about ministering done well. Maybe, someday, I will!  It was fun to sift through photos of when we were in total crisis mode, and feel gratitude for the love from my people all over again. So many emotions in these pics. Sooo much love, too. 

Corbin gave an excellent talk via ZOOM in sacrament meeting about building the cause of Zion. 


On Saturday, we had a break in the weather and Aaron drove Quincy to a Galentine party with some girlfriends, Cadence C and Avery D. 







I usually dip strawberries in chocolate on Valentine’s Day but decided to go for something bigger/more challenging this year. 

We’ve officially reached the “create an enormous chocolate Swiss roll cake” day of this pandemic. 

Giant Chocolate Swiss Roll (lil’ Debbi would be so proud)

Bake devils food cake in a jelly roll pan on greased parchment. 

Roll it up right out of the oven while it’s hot. 

Cream cheese, heavy cream, unsweetened cocoa, powdered sugar, vanilla filling. 

Re roll. 

Too with homemade chocolate ganache and chill. 

So. Good. 

Made a vanilla lemon berry one, too. 





My uncle Rey has been battling Covid for over 2 weeks in an Arizona hospital. He was placed on hospice on Sunday. We are all so sad (Rey was the best!) but especially my mom. We made a dance montage video to the song “just can’t get enough” by depeche mode and posted it on Instagram to cheer her up. We had so much fun making it. This song makes us really happy. I just can’t get enough of my dancing family. I saved it in my ig highlights so we could watch our dance party any time we want. 

Around the World With the Willies: The Netherlands

A friend from high school sent us a few pics of life in the Netherlands, where he and his wife live. 

Reese died when they told us they don’t have ranch dressing in the Netherlands. 


Our Universal Yums box arrived and we did snacks and facts by candlelight after I made a kid-friendly version of stamppot for dinner. The stroopwafels were the favorite. I think they taste a lot like the honey stinger waffle cut energy bars for distance running 🤣. 

Soren is also learning a lot about the Netherlands in his math curriculum right now.  The children are supposedly known for being the happiest in the world. They also ride bikes everywhere and eat a LOT of candy and french fries. But fries without ranch dressing, I mean, how happy can they really be?!

Saga 4: mammogram 2.0 and ultrasounds

My mom and I like to joke about dr appointments and rename them so they sound more glamorous. Like she did a sleep study and I called it an “overnight getaway”. The CT scan was a photoshoot and trip to the smoothie bar.  So when I had to go in for another mammogram for a better look, I announced, “I got a call back!” And I went back to the breast center for another round of “glamour shots and deep pressure massage” 

Warm hearts

Today’s fire is brought to you by Soren.  The boys have decided it is their job to build a fire each evening.  

We are currently experiencing a “polar vortex” and ice accumulation has had school canceled today and tomorrow. There’s actually not a day above freezing on the 7 day forecast. We did not split load up the firewood before the weather hit.  Consequently, any split logs we do have are coated in 1/4 inch of ice, save 3 but huge branch chunks on the porch from the tree we felled last spring, that will burn nicely but are much too large and not quite seasoned enough to start a fire with.  

I must have said “it’s so cold today!” Too many times, because Soren bundled up to go “check out the ice” and I spied him carrying a few the communal bonfire logs off the island to front porch.  Part of me wanted to explain that they’re wet and frozen, and even bringing them to the covered porch won’t thaw them until the temp outside is warm enough to melt ice. 

Then he walked in with a tiny Soren sized load of 3 little dry logs. He put one of his homemade fire starters in, stacked them up, and he and Corbin proudly built a fire.  

“Where did you get those little dry logs?” I asked. 

“From the neighbor’s house!” Be beamed.   

Yep. My kid saw the cord of dry seasoned firewood neatly stacked on JJ’s porch, decided she could spare a few logs, and shamelessly knocked on the next door neighbor’s door and asked to “borrow” some logs.  

Once they had a fire going, they brought in frozen logs on a towel and set them out in front of the fire. The ice melted off in chunks and dropped everywhere, and those logs were still damp and smoked a bit when they were added to the fire. Eventually the coals were glowing and the fire was hot enough to add one of the giant dry logs from the front porch. My neighbor gave us the number for their firewood guy and we have a delivery coming hopefully Friday, and Soren said he will then “replace” the logs he bummed off our neighbors!  Bless these boys for not wanting their mama to be cold.   We curled up in front of it after dinner and I read 50 pages of a book to them.  They  went to bed two hours ago, but I’m still parked here, warming up my bones, and I’ll be here until the last flame goes out. Thanks, boys! 

Friday I’m in Love

 Just a tiny glimpse into our life during the Covid 19 pandemic.  Aaron works from home 2-3 days a week and is the only person in the office on the other days.  I spend a lot of time shushing children when he is on a call, but I love seeing his face so often during the day and the little opportunities to talk with him briefly here and there,

Big Hair Don’t Care

My hair was big yesterday. It seemed to keep growing larger as the day progressed. Reese made this side by side “who wore it best” big hair edition of me next to Robert Smith of the Cure. 

I still straighten my hair once every couple of weeks for fun, but I really can’t believe that ridiculous routine was my norm for 20 years! Now I totally love my curls and my giant hair...especially on days like yesterday where for no apparent reason it was exceptionally enormous. We’re blaming the polar vortex 🤣

Chicken dates

When Corbin was in preschool, my friend, Sarah A had recently purchased her Donkey Hill property. One day she let Corbin and I meet up with her and we spent an hour feeding Donkeys and petting horses. It was wonderful and such a dreamy date for little Corbin abd I!  

Many years later, my friend, Danielle asked if she could bring her youngest over to our backyard for a date to feed and play with our chickens. We gave him treats to feed them and a basket to collect eggs in. He loved it so much and It brought me so much happiness to be able to share our chickens with them.   

I can’t wait to have a little hobby farm someday. 

Virtual Primary

In January our ward began holding a monthly Primary meeting via zoom. Today, E gave the scripture. The kids loved singing time! The twins really struggle to be still longer than 5 minutes. It was sort of like herding cats and I definitely got a work out when it turned into wrestle mania for awhile. I longingly watched the many children in their tiny boxes who were participating independently while reverently seated on their sofas with no parents having to help them. I remembered Elder Holland saying “we get points for trying!” And that was my anthem for church with triplets, today. I’m trying! They are trying, too. We’re all trying. It’s better to be pleased with our efforts to meet our children where they are and offer  them the Gospel than to be frustrated that they are unable to meet me where I am.  I’m telling it how it is so that someday I will  look back and remember that just about everything was a struggle for my young children, and then I will show them how far they’ve progressed and celebrate with them. I will also remember and celebrate that I survived this season, thanks to many blessings of sometimes super human abilities to multi task, letting a lot of things “go”, and faithful teachers and friends who are there where Aaron and I fall short. 

Sloane’s teachers, the Fife’s brought over an adorable little booklet with their class members in it and a little bio about each one. She also received a chocolate bar, which she polished off promptly as it was nap time and she was delighted to not be asked to share it with anyone.  She has been carrying around her little class foster all weekend, asking us to read it to her. I’m so thankful for the wonderful members serving primary and loving and  teaching my children in creative, thoughtful ways!  Thank you! 

Reese’s second date

Greg G, (whom the Willies all affectionately call “Gordo” or “schwoopy hair”) called a few weeks ago to ask Reese out on a group date with his buddies Noah B and Seth G, but had to cancel last minute when he was placed in quarantine for covid exposure at school.   Last week, he called her for a make up date and picked Reese up for a lunch picnic and thrift shopping instead.  He came to the door and received an appropriate barrage from the young Willy clan and took it well. I obviously won’t post every date Reese goes on, but wanted to document this stage of life on the blog. It’s not as weird as we thought it would be to send my daughter off in cars with mullet sporting boys.  But it is new.  These kids are so fun and creative and good to each other.