March 2017

We started the month off with a great trip! Spence and I went to Hawaii and my Mom came and babysat the kids-- which is a trip in its self. The kids LOVE it when Grandma babysits because it means no piano, no chores, and lots of fun. They went to the Movies and played lots of electronics. They were happy and so were we! Win--Win!

Tanner is a total nut and thinks he needs to wear shorts in the middle of winter.  He's "fluffy-the wolf" and that's why he doesn't get cold. 

Reece's class finished a program and were awarded these cool shirts.  We went to watch the ceremony-- apparently it had a big impact on me because I don't remember anything about the program. opps!

This girl is a total crack-up! Taking her shopping is quite the experience.  She finds the coolest bags and fills them within in minutes.  She's quite the character.

Mr. Tan-Man is darling. It's not very often his face is this clear.  We went on a date to get his 5 year old suit for his pictures.  After shopping we went to Maverick for a slurpie and some gummy worms. He's such an easy going kid and I love spending time with him.

These were my favorite top 6 photos from his 5 yr old photo shoot.  He was such a ham during pictures.  It was hard getting him to stay still because he was laughing so hard.  He's a happy and easily entertained child.

Preschool Field Trip to the Natural History Museum. I love going on field trips with my kids and spending time with them and their friends.  They get so excited for these things too!

Spencer, JD Rutledge, and Ben Allen went to New York City to the ACC Basketball Tournament to watch Duke play.  They had freezing cold weather but all their dreams came true when they got to see the Duke vs. North Carolina Game in the FINALS of the ACC Tourney. To make things even better-- the game was super close all the way to the end and then DUKE won!!! They were super happy. They also ate a lot of good food and visited a museum. 

While Spence was in NYC, Grace Buchanan was blessed and so the Miller Grandparents and the Catmulls came to visit. We had a BYU day where we visited the bookstore and went bowling, and then spent the remainder of the time playing around the house (having cousins over is the kids most favorite thing!). 

Benson is such a great helper! He loves little babies and does a great job helping out with Grace.

Cousin pic after Grace's blessing. 

Some of our favorite friends came to visit--the Ormes! Adam and Reece were able to spend the day hanging out-- we took Adam to the Temple Quarry which they had a great time exploring.  Then we met up on a different day at the Natural History Museum for some more fun.  The saddest part of this trip (which was heartbreaking) was when I diagnosed Aaron with type 1 diabetes.  I was with the Catmulls at BYU and decided to swing by Cassi's in-laws house to check his blood sugar so they wouldn't have to worry about it. Cassi had called a week before worried about his wet diapers and abnormal thirst.  The most alarming thing to me was when she texted me that morning and said Aaron had been throwing up. I immediately started to worry he had type one.  So I made time to run over there after BYU.  We sat outside on the swing at Nick's parents house and I checked his blood sugar.  It was 284.  My stomach instantly felt sick.  She asked what it meant and I said, "well, maybe he has sugar on his finger. Lets check again".  It was around 284 again.  I then told her that I thought he had type 1 diabetes. She immediately started crying and asking lots of questions. It looked like he was in ketoacidosis because he was throwing up, but it ended up being a random stomach bug.  I can't tell you how sad I felt for her.  All the sudden, so many memories and emotions started running through my head. I honestly cried for an entire week.  Aaron was only 2 years old and it brought things close to home.  Many of the times I cried during that week were from memories of miracles we had while Benson was that age, from memories of him being so little and so brave, and all the emotions that I felt at that time seemed to come back in full force.  In a way it was sweet to see that we had overcome so much and have had SOOOO many incredible blessings and miracles along the way, and another part was just so sad because I know first hand all the difficulties she's going to face.  I love Cassi-- she's one of my best friends and this experience really brought us together even more.

We like to spend a lot of time playing in the front yard. Because of the busy street, I like to be outside with the kids (and it gives me endorphins smelling the fresh air and getting out of the house) so we spend a lot of time watching the kids play and waving at the cars go by.  Kate is really funny because as soon as I get my chair out, she gets hers and puts it right next to mine! It's quite adorable.

Cousin play time! We LOVE it when the Buchanan girls come to play.  We usually switch date nights on the weekends so we get to have them over for Friday and Saturday night.  These kids have good chemistry and are easily entertained with each other.

Sunday pictures!

My friend sent me this picture of Tanner. He's such a happy, well mannered kid.

Just a little princess playing after we painted her nails. 

Reece had a really cool field trip that I got to tag along with.  It was called "Biz town" and each student had a checking account, saving account, and a job.  They had to earn money, spend money, go to the bank, and keep a check book. It was impressive how they were able to stimulate a real-life experience for these kids.  Reece was in charge of cleaning and maintaining the phones throughout biz-town.  He did a great job and took his job very seriously. It was fun for me to watch him get excited about his job and how responsible and organized he was with his money. 

Our good buddy, Max Allen from Minnesota came for a visit and met up with us at the Museum of Curiosity.  This museum is seriously so much fun. We have an annual pass so we get to visit often.

Mr. Benson had a great experience with his pine-wood derby car. He wanted to go with the "BYU theme" which fit him perfectly.  He was a good sport and cheered all his friends as they raced their cars. It made my mama heart proud.

Benson worked hard in scouts and earned his "wolf"! Good work buddy.

Benson's 9th birthday party! He had an awesome party at "Classic Fun Center"! He had a lot of friends and they all played until their hearts were content.  He has a great group of buddies.  They played laser tag, goofed around in the blast zone, played on the inflatables and enjoyed the arcade.  My favorite part was seeing how happy Benson was.  He felt special that day-- which was awesome!

Benson wanted a "Y" cake! He was pleased with the result.

Benson is easily entertained. We got him a pogo-stick, Skylanders wii game, backpack for baseball, a new nerf super soaker, and some other things I can't remember. haha

Family Trip to the Aquarium.  Our wonderful friends, the Buchanan's, had a pass which got us in for 50% off!

I seriously love these girls! I'm currently the 1st counselor in the YW's and LOVE my calling.  Rachel Jessee and McKenna Lake are my Mia Maids and we have so much fun together! They have become my good friends.  I feel like more of a friend then a leader.  I also love our YW President-- Heidi Draper.  We've also become close friends. For this particular activity we went to top golf and it was a total blast!!!

I walked into her room and found her like this.  I love her imagination! 

Kate and I like to take selfies while making funny faces! We are pretty cute!