Happy List

We cleaned the church this morning as a family. I’m so grateful to have this building so close to home. 

 I’m in the process of doing the bulletin board outside the orchestra room at BHS. Channeling Teresa Thompson vibes to help me make them prettier. We had a board meeting Friday and as we made plans for the school year I remembered how busy senior year is. I might have taken on too much with SBO this year, but I know with certainty Corbin and all the students will be blessed for the investment of my time in his activity. I like orchestra and I like volunteering with the students. I’m excited to travel with them to NYC in the spring. Here we go! 

I’m obsessed with the plaid flannel wool modular sectional in this rug ad in an “I desperately need this in my life” kind of way. Cannot find a source anywhere. Google image searches are giving nothing. It’s probably AI and that’s why. Real or not, I really really want to take a nap on this sofa. Preferably with the sofa being located inside my living room if I can be more precise. I just really really love it.

 So pretty. Thats all. 

It will never rain again and Arkansas is dying. My garden is more shriveled than the chicken nugget that’s been on the floor in the back off my van for weeks. Don’t ask why I’m not throwing the nugget away. It’s a battle of wills with the children and currently in a bit of a stalemate situation. 

The peppers and tomatoes were harvested for a singular  pathetic batch of soup. 

Way to go Elders Johnson and Saumweber! I delivered Sonic to him and Elder Johnson this week. Zoom MTC was so long for my girls, I try to liven it up a little for others. 

Willardson Jamine is doing great work as a trainer! She finished the green book, which is a Korean grammar book that is several inches thick. She set a goal and worked a minimum of 6 pages a day to get through it. She was congratulated and handed another workbook that is just as thick 😂. You can do it, sister! I believe in you! 

Reese raided Qs clothing storage a final time (rat activity!) and got busted wearing the sacred yellow peanuts hoodie from the rat king. It has been returned to its bin for safe keeping until Jamine’s return. 

Cutie couple cleaning out the closet and hanging in the cutie guest/ryan’s room. Aaron is already looking into summer jobs to entice them to return  next summer. 

The other day I stopped by my moms/reese and Logan’s after school because Reese said “we have something here for you.” Haha the “something” was  a line up of teen boys requesting line-ups and eyebrow waxes. I got through 4 of them and the rest are coming sometime this week. 

New trainer who this? Q’s new comp is from the Philippines. She’s so sweet and Q is loving all the Filipino food she cooks! I asked Quincy what American delicacies she has cooked for Portuguez Jamine, and she said “grilled cheese sandwiches of course!” They used their tiny stash of cheese for this. Cheese is tough to find and muy expensive, so they don’t have it much. A grilled cheese is the rightful way to go. Well done, trainer.  

A meme one of the kids sent me. Accurate. I love me a little whimsy and celebration! 

An exciting announcement: Sloane’s stuffy, Boosh  has grown his first chest hair” The fabric has fuzzies and Sloane announced with all seriousness and certainty that Boosh has hit puberty. Congrats to Boosh, I guess??

I made a bouquet and took it to Melissa. It was so much prettier in real life than my photo gives us. I thought she might want something beautiful on her counter this week to remind her of her lovely mother. I think about Chris every day and I hope her children felt close to her over the last week. I took Ryan to Waffle House yesterday and we drowned life’s sorrows away by eating enough to put ourselves into food comas. I can think of many reasons why life here and all the people in it would be so much better off if Chris was physically here with us. I miss her. I wish for wisdom, faith, and patience like hers. I wish to be more like her. 

Soren turned 14 last week! Bday post coming soon. Look at this guy. Love him so much.

We went to the adult session on Saturday night and watched stake conference via zoom on Sunday. I was holding Aaron’s hand, Reese was holding Logan’s, and leaninb on Aaron, and we all noticed at the same time, and without a word, Corbin joined our train and we all just smiled. It was a funny moment and I tried to capture a pic of us all linked up. We are so weird and we know it. Whatever. An abundance of love is the best kind of weird to be. 

Sweet Esme ran for student council last week. She was outvoted and lost by one vote. I’m so proud of her courage to try something new! 

We looked at this house on lake Ann again. It is THE house. The owners son is about to list it and is asking too much (for us) to justify the purchase. It needs a major overhaul and I’ve wished for the last month to be employed for the some purpose of disposable income to gut and make this place a dream. It has so much lakefront. It’s at the end of a cul de sac. It’s in the perfect location. 

To satisfy my desire to be creative, I have a whole Pinterest board of what I would* do to this dreamy lake home. In another life I am opening walls and moving a staircase. And then hosting all the non-boat owning non-lake living people for days and days when it’s over 100 degrees for the 15th day in a row and all anyone can think of doing is jumping in the water. 

Logan and Ryan sat on the hearth and agreed “you could really do something incredible with this space” 

I agree. But I had to finish their sentence with “—-and an extra $200k” 

What a dream though. I can’t wait to see what someone does with this property. 

It’s soccer season! The last few games have been real burners in this heat wave we are having. My boys are troopers! 

H

Corbin is such a good cheerleader to his brothers. He goes to all the meets and games that he can and he cheers and heckles loudly/obnoxiously from the sidelines. 

We hit up Bruscos with Reese and Logan before they left town for pizza and wings. We used to go here regularly a couple years ago and Reese wanted to go back so badly. We’ve missed this place. I can seriously mess up an order of Bruscos wings. Best around.

I don’t remember what was happening here but Reese and Soren are SO similar. Much like the Sloane/Quincy likeness. It’s fun to see characteristic similarities in my children. Willardson spawn don’t all look alike, but they sure carry a similar sense of humor and lot of personality traits that favor one another. 

The deer are out, everywhere, and unfazed by locals. This one was in my neighbors front yard just chilling as Logan approached it.

We spent Reese and Logan’s last day here having a final Arkansas Adventure. We hit the kayak park in Siloam with Ryan and had a magical day. The water was low and wonderfully warm. We laughed and swam and played hard.

Aaron and I went to the temple together on Thursday night before Soren’s soccer game. We caught Ryan working his shift and we took some time to just sit and experience some peace together. I operate at a pace that doesn’t always remember to pause for this. I look forward to being in the temple every week to just listen and be. I never rush out of there and pay zero attention to the time. I am uninterrupted and it’s much needed rest for my spirit. This week, I sat on a bench outside after to watch the sun set and email my missionary. It was perfect. 

Meet the Newtons: off to Rexburg

 Our favorite newlyweds moved to Idaho yesterday. I am overjoyed for them, and sad for me—and sad for everyone else who is left behind. They are adorable and I miss them already. 

They had a precious send off. Aaron gave each of them a father’s blessing the night before. We had a late night packing sesh/dance party. In the morning, each sibling got a special goodbye. They even came to the fitness center to hug Ryan goodbye at work. 

Reese is so funny. I love her quiet witty humor. She’s been organizing all of my mom’s closets and cabinets and drawers for her this summer. She also confessed to sticking little blue dot stickers on the bottom of everything she wants to have left to her in the will 😂💀💀💀. 

They also finally confessed to my parents over the phone that they wore their clothes all summer during their stay here. Really. Grandpas Idaho vandals sweatshirt, some khaki cargos, and his hokas were donned by Logan on the regular. A button down of my dad’s was even featured in a photo shoot Reese a slogan did at a hot air balloon festival with Annika 😂

Reese wore my mom’s cloud slides every day, her hokas to the gym, and her pink minky robe all summer. I am not new to having my clothes stolen by daughters, so I find this sort of rat activity to be kind of hilarious. The couple was overjoyed when my parents told them to keep the robe and sweatshirt. If I were them, I might not ask for the robe back either. 

I gave Logan a final haircut and another lesson for Reese. She’s getting more confident. 

These two share my love for movement and Logan can drop some moves to a girl power pop banger like no one’s business. All ke$ha, all the time, baby. 

I love you, Figgies! 

See you not soon enough.  

The one where she harvests honey

Ever do something that just makes you feel like a total baddie? Every time I open a beehive, I feel like such a boss babe. It’s so empowering. 

Honeybees are the most amazing creatures. Second to humans and the ocean, I think bees are one of Heavebly Fathers greatest masterpieces. 

Reese and brogan were kind to come with me out to Tuckaway to collect a very small fall harvest from the bees. I only took 2.5 frames and only one hive appeared to have enough stored away for me to comfortably take. I left the prettiest ones for the girls and pulled the ugly and inconsistent frames. 

Cutting honeycomb off the frames is one of the most satisfying experiences ces life can offer. Forget those ASMR sound effect videos with the sensory crunchy crunchy noises. This is so much better. 

Honeycomb is like….kinectic sand. Slicing a flan. Tres leches cake. It’s a solid if you move quickly,  but it starts to ooze the longer it sits. And scraping the top with the syrupy golden honey waterfall? Reese literally squealed while we did this. So satisfying. Pure dopamine. 

2 hours later, I have a baby harvest of liquid gold to split with Saumis. Thank you honeybees! 

And really…HOW COOL IS THIS?!

Like, just a few hours ago, this deliciousness was nothing. It was hidden away in a box. 

This goodness was made BY INSECTS.  

 

Boy Mom

I really like being a boy mom. 

There are major differences in communication, but I feel so much love for and from all these sons of mine. For the first time in 21+ years as a mother, I am outnumbered in boys to girls. The dynamic shift is wild. 

A few things I’m learning in earning trust with sons is that I have to love what they love. From sports to Taco Bell. It definitely has not come as naturally as loving love my girls love. Fortunately, I already enjoy eating and watching people get sweaty. And my music taste is broad enough to have an inner 17 year old so I’m mostly cool there, too. It has taken some time For the teens to trust me, and recognize that we are maybe even a little bit alike, and maybe that is not a terrible thing. We’re getting there. 

Reese and I stopped by pickup hoops last night and took tiny jugs of chocolate milk (disgusting) to Logan, Ryan, and Corbin. This was one of many many “lasts” that seem to be dragging on all month. Reese and Logan move to Rexburg on Thursday and we are all grieving. 

No one is as sad as the ducklings though. They love Logan so so so much. He is the group dad and they’ve spent the last 2 weeks gathering at the Newton residence to watch Outer Banks (garbage lol). They finished the last episode last night just in time since Ammon gets set apart as a missionary tonight! 

A lot of Y2K and Minecraft video games happen as well. 

We went to a dinner at the Johnson’s with the Johnston and Ratsachak families. It was so kind of them to include us, since Corbin is not leaving with the other boys. 

Corbin comes home from dates and tells Reese all about them. It’s great. Reese and Q did this with me. He is so lucky to have such amazing older sisters. 

Every single student in my Sunday school class has a mission call right now. Davey was first to be set apart, and the next few weeks are filled with farewells. What an exciting time! 

Sometimes prickly, but sometimes the snuggliest lap child trapped in a giant man-body. Senior year is so emotional.  

Late night Dons and Taco Bell is the primary love language.  
 

Soccer and XC season are in full swing! It’s in the triple digits and I’m a sweaty mess after meets and games. Soren and Bear are beasts. 

Soren really is such a well rounded athlete. He likes everything and gives full effort to every sport. It’s so fun to watch him. 

Bear hates to be hot. Hates it. Soccer really challenges him and he played so well last night. He loves the game and I love that for him. 

BYU and Razorback football season starting up. 

I’ll get started on the snacks.