It’s good to be Meg Willardson

I’m watching a documentary called Secret of the Bees with Soren right now before game 4 of the Pistons v Magic starts. Bees are such incredible creatures. And basketball with my boys is a fun but emotional time. 

 I deep cleaned the chicken coop on earth day. It was a labor of love. Look at these fine ladies. They’re producing eggs like crazy right now and we are eating all the egg things to keep up. Once a week, I make a mass amount of breakfast burritos and feed all the people. The teen friends that trickle in and out of here are most grateful. 

We have Reese and Logan’s open house this weekend and the annual orchestra banquet days later. Super busy time of year and a lot of work to put big things together, but the celebrating part is fun and always worth it. A student I know only from orchestra approached me at Walmart today while I ordered cupcakes. We had a little visit and it felt nice to know these students genuinely appreciate the time I spend knowing and serving them. Great kids. 

My sister friend Robyn is moving to Utah. I spent a few hours a couple days at her house helping her organize her move and pack up her life. The spears family will be greatly missed by the Willies. 

Two more of my Sunday school kids have mission calls! So proud of these two. 

On earth day. I weeded my 4 garden beds and planted the peppers and tomatoes I started from

seeds under grow lights in my basement this winter. I should have put them in the ground 2 weeks ago but ran out of time and energy. They’ve definitely looked healthier, but I am hopeful for a nice summer harvest. My sugar snap peas look good. I also have herbs, squash, green beans, lettuce, spinach, and cucumbers growing. 

Mr Saunchy squeezed in a birthday party for a friend between track practice abc a soccer game on Thursday. This kid is on the go! Soren is very active and very social. He is very easy to get along with and I so happy for him that finding friends is not a challenge. 

Emerson W, Caleb, Owen?, Noah, Blaine, Arjun, Spencer, Sebastian, Dean, Merrik

Reese and Logan came with me to support Our boy Capra at his lacrosse game senior night. Logan played LAX in high school so it was nice to have him explain the game to us while we watched. Very cool sport. Way to go, Josh! 

Corbin was asked to spontaneously ref a jr high soccer game when they were short refs the other night. Aaron was one of the coaches. It was quite stressful and his comedic retelling of the evening had us all in stitches. “It was terrible. Father. No disrespect, but you are terrible.” 

Corbin is still sporting goggles 24/7 and has survived 4 “purges” in this year’s round of slash assassin. The prize is $425. He is consumed with winning. 

I checked on my bees today and all three swarms I caught on earth day are still going strong! Excellent. 

I joined Jocelyn Petersen and Emily Sasine for a group run sponsored by Onyx at the Momentary. Running with Jocelyn is top tier. She kept us entertained with stories from her recent trip to Portugal. 

Reese and Logan are playing mom and dad this week for the younger Saumi’s. There was no school today so I took my younger crowd (Corbin was with friends at Sydney’s lake after morning gilding with Soren and the boys) for a hike and creek play at Blowing Springs. Kit and Tess Hilme met us there too. Then we grilled out and swam at the Saumi’s. Hazel and friend Waverly taught Soren how to stunt. After a few fails they had Hazel in the air and were very proud. Haha except the pole vaulter instinct in Soren was to throw Hazel away from him when she came down instead of catch. Oops! 

Korean time zone is a little tricky for p day calls. The family got to chat with Q at 7pm and then I got to talk to her from 2-3am. I’m a little tired this week but it was worth it. She is so good. I loved hearing her experiences and challenges from the week. The work in Korea is slow and difficult and she is such a dedicated missionary. I love Quincy’s attitude so much. I also got to see so many of her people earlier in the day at church. I love the first week of summer when the college kids come home! Quincy’s deep love for others is felt far and wide. She is such a champion for her friends. The mission is hard but the time is already passing so quickly. Join the Willy fam in praying they find friends to teach. 

Corbin and Neal played a duet in church on Sunday. It was a “farewell Sunday” for the Crabb family, who are moving to Utah. They rehearsed a bit on Saturday and played several songs just for fun. Children gathered around a piano and collaborating to make music is my ultimate Mother Dream. This is the 2nd round of Willardson Ratsachack cello piano music and it filled my heart. They sounded so nice on Sunday and the Spirit was felt.  As soon as they sat down after playing, Corbin texted me a selfie and, “How’d I do Mother?” And I think his yearning for approval warmed my heart as much as the actual music. Well done boys. This is such a good thing. Big thank you to Valerie for inviting them to share talents with our ward family. 

I have so much to be grateful for. I got a text from Lynda, this week. Reese and Brogan are here, Jamine Quincy is safe and loving her mission and growing her testimony, Ryan is working hard this summer, the Lakers are winning in the playoffs, Sloane had a successful 504 renewal, the twins auditioned and were selected to perform in the Cooper talent show,I have not had a bad autoimmmune flare in a while, Aaron and I had a fun dinner date to Peddlers Pub this weekend, and my birthday is in a few days.  While life is not without trials, I feel healthy and capable and strong enough to bear them. 

It is so good to be Meg Willardson. 

Spring Soccer for Soren and Bear

The Willy boys dominated on the soccer fields today! 

Wild Swarm(s!)

Mary called me on Earth Day because a swarm of honeybees had settled on a tree on the farm. We don’t know if they are a split from one of our hives, or one nearby, but I am suspecting that it is not from my hives, because I did a hive check less than 2 weeks ago and saw no queen cells or signs they were about to swarm. I suited up and headed over. Bees typically will swarm up high in a tree, but the location was low enough that we could collect them. So I grabbed an old nuc box and that’s what we did. It was comical as Mary and I awkwardly balanced a hive between my chest and the tree and we scooped thousands of bees up into our hands and then into the box. Once we had the queen inside, I got so excited I almost dropped them 🤦🏻‍♀️. Anyway, the hive is still out in the corner of the farm and bees are coming and going and doing great! 

Last week I cleaned up an old hive box that I don’t have bees in right now and set it in a corner of the farm away from our other hives, with hope that it might act as a swarm trap. I decided yesterday to pull a frame with drawn honeycomb to put inside the nuc box for this wild swarm, and they are getting right to work cleaning it up so they can repurpose it for brood and grow the colony right away. 

Bees are so cool. 

 The very next day, Mary called again. ANOTHER swarm on the farm. This one, inside their high crop tunnel. I headed over as fast as I could and Mary sent Davey to grab my empty hive box I recently cleaned out, and he came back with a honey super box, saying “I couldn’t use the other one, you have bees in there.” 

What? 

By the time I arrived, David and Mary had collected most of this swarm, and I checked on all the other hives. These are all fresh colonies! My old box makeshift swarm trap? Full of bees! In one day, another swarm had moved right in. 

Beautiful. 

It’s triplets, I guess! 3 swarms in 2 days, plus our existing hives are still going strong. Mary and I now have charge over 6 colonies. The three are still in the very small/fragile state, and I doubt the queens have mated yet, but if they make it, we will be in BEESness this fall! 

A nuc runs about $200. And it’s still a risk that they won’t thrive. This was a $600 earth day bountiful surprise. Talk about free-bees! 

Wild honey coming atcha soon. 

Meet the Newtons: Boise Open House

 Per my usual, the photos are posting out of order. 

Aaron and I flew to Boise on Friday night to attend Reese and Logan’s open house in Kuna.  We don’t think we’ve been back to Boise since moving away when Reese was a newborn baby. It was cool to be back, even if only for less than 48 hours. We flew out Friday night, and came home Sunday morning. Reese and Logan drove Logan’s car up and Ryan caravanned in Nana (the van), bringing up a bunch of their gear to store in Kuna for the summer. They arrived just in time for Ryan to pick us up from the airport, and ironically, when we left, he dropped us off and drove home, passing the airport right as we landed. 

We really liked getting to meet all of Logan’s aunts and uncles. His parents both come from very large families. As I talked to each of nine siblings on one side, they spoke so highly of Logan and his parents, especially his father, but I felt an overwhelmed of gratitude for the good example of righteous parents. In fact, one of the sisters of logan’s mom saw me out to tell me that she knows “Logan will dedicate his life to caring for Reese and providing for his family because he was raised by a really good man who has done exactly that for my sister. The potential for greatness is his birthright.” I thought that was a really beautiful thing for a sister in law to say. It brings my mother heart extra peace to hear that my very special girl is married to another very special person. 

After the open house, we brought back all the tablecloths, little photo frames, and pink sashes in a suitcase of my mom’s that Reese has had in Utah. Everyone doubted my plan here, but the satisfaction of that suitcase weighing precisely 50 pounds at check in was sensational. 

We did not and could never recreate the amazing dance party that was the actual wedding reception. That was a magical time. But we did dance around and sing along at the top of our lungs during the open house clean up. I love that spontaneous karaoke-like song belting and dancing are part of the family culture Aaron and I created, and I’m so happy for Reese that she married into a family that loves this kind of energy as well. Logan loves to dance and can show all of us up on the floor with his sick moves. 

After party clean up, there was one thing on the agenda. One last round of gym hoops for Logan, and Ryan. They’ve had a few pickup games at Mark and Melinda’s over the past few weeks, but needed to ball hard one last time before Logan is in Arkansas for the summer. 

All the babies find Reese for snuggles. I love seeing how much they love her. 

Amy ordered the CUTEST cupcake boquete from Walmart for the table centerpieces and put out a beautiful charcuterie spread for the reception. So so pretty.  

Reese and I kicked back with babies and folded tablecloths and watched our boys play ball. Aaron’s dress shoes send me 💀

This girl. She is so beautiful inside and out. I am so proud of the woman she has grown up to be. Mothering her has been a great joy. 

Life of the party. Logan and I stopped all clean up efforts temporarily to tear up the floor with the soulja boy dance. Reese, Ryan, and Logan’s sisters Jodee and Brandilyn joined us as well. 

Reese is now an auntie to 8 children, with brand new baby Everett making a grand entrance 2 weeks ago. Reese and Logan are making their trek to Arkansas this week and stopped in Rexburg to meet their newest nephew. 

This kid. We had a generational run of good times this weekend. He and Aaron kept the NBA playoffs streaming and we had two unforgettable in n out runs, a stop for Cheesecake Factory dessert takeout, and a very iffy cafe rio lunch with some jokes that will remain in the Willardson family lore forever. 

On Saturday morning, Aaron and I went to visit old college roommates Keith and Arianne, who live in Boise, just one block over from where we lived with Rob and Lynda when Reese was born. Keith opened the door and hollered out to the neighborhood, “hey everybody, the Willardsons are back in the Legends! They’re back!” And teased Aaron about saving him a a spot on the HOA board. Keith is so funny, we were all in stitches for an hour. 

Then we met Reese and Logan at Amy and Brandon’s home in kuna and watched the newlyweds open all the gifts that been arriving via Amazon registry. All of the family was there and it was an amazing chaos of kids running around, a visit from grandma who accidentally called the police over, a basketball game on the tv, and hilarious commentary from our favorite curmudgeon Paul. Aaron Ryan and I had a bingo card and our game made the day even funnier. 

Men on box breakdown duty. I gave Logan a haircut with Reese’s clippers at his parents house, and gave Ryan a fresh fade late late Saturday night in the hotel lobby hallway. The clippers in the hallway caused the lobby lights to dim every time I turned them on. Maybe because it was midnight, but it was hilarious and the front desk lady cracked up with us. Then we got a face time from Corbin with a play by play download from prom night, and his takes of mistakenly getting locked out of the house and having to break into grandmas to sleep. He had us rolling with his stories. 

Good times. 

Photos out of order. We did a drive by of Rob and Lynda’s house on Maidstone way.  

After our trip to New England a few years ago, Aaron will NOT be outsnacked on a trip ever again. 

Mount Timpanogos

The sweetest couple, and one of Logan’s aunties in the background. Logan is 1/8 Chinese, and you can really see his heritage in his aunts and uncles. Ryan quickly informed Logan that he is the dominant adopted Chinese brother in this family. “So sorry, the position has been filled.” 😂 

What a great weekend. Lots of late night games and laughter and snoring and more laughter. There was an abundance of love for this sweet couple. The final open house/arkansas celebration is next week. Can’t wait!