Sunday, March 7, 2021

Arizona Week 1

We brought most of our homeschool stuff and do it in the mornings. Kenzie loves doing math outside.

Coleman and Kenzie on the porch swing.

Kenzie loves being able to walk to the park with just Coleman or another brother.

Doug used his lunch break to play some soccer during the first week.

Grandpa bought a couple chess games so they can play a lot of chess.

My parents bought a new house a couple miles away from their current house. We were excited to be able to go in it a couple days after we arrived. It was only their second time seeing the house. My mom thought it was better than she remembered:) Kenzie loved the doggie door!

She made it through :)

Kenzie and I have been able to attend young womens while here. She made this glue/salt/paint project.

My mom and I were going through all Grandma Carlson's picture books and sorting them by family so my mom and her siblings can each have Grandma's picture of their families. I found this picture of Ashlee and Michelle coming to see me in the hospital after I was born.

And a picture of my mom and me.

Of course many games of Hearts has been played.

Jackson pushing Kenzie in the wagon.


We went another park in the neighborhood that has greener, softer grass.



Kenzie is a bit more flexible than Doug :)

After a family game of soccer, Doug and the kids played football, while I read and figured out bunny stuff. My friend Anna that was watching the bunny wasn't able to watch the bunny anymore because her husband is allergic to Snickers (which was unexpected since they have bunnies!) She had found someone to watch her instead, but didn't think that would work out. So she found someone else to watch Snickers. But then I guess Anna had been in the hospital since Tuesday and while she was gone her family had given Snickers  to the first family that had said they could watch Snickers, which Anna found out after she got home from the hospital on Saturday. And now I've talked to the new bunny family, and they seem to be happy watching her and enjoy playing with her. But I guess they didn't get the hay when they had picked her up so she had been without hay for several days, I think. But Tiffany (the mom) said she'd go pick some up from our porch. So everything should be good with Snickers now. Kenzie has been missing her a lot though!

That night we went to Nancy's house for a barbecue and smores. Jordan started the fire for us.

And he chopped some kindling.

Kenzie roasting a marshmallow for me to make a smore with. She doesn't like to eat smores but likes to make them. She loves just eating the plain chocolate.

We had a cornhole tournament. Doug was the ultimate winner.

Kenzie, Jackson, Bert, Nancy.

Jordan ate a ton of smores.

Coleman roasted/lit on fire his first marshmallow.

Kenzie played Hearts for the first time and so far loves it! She went to bed really mad at me one night because I didn't let her stay up late and play.

Sandy Valley

After Sacramento we drove to Las Vegas for a night. In the morning we went to Sandy Valley to visit Grandma and Grandpa Dance for a couple hours. It had been awhile since we've been there, and it was nice to be back, even for such a short visit.

Grandma took the kids to find Boots.

Kenzie in front of the sod farm that doesn't have any sod on it currently :) I think the seeds were just planted.

The kids played soccer.

And they played the piano.

Kenzie with the giant tractor wheel.

Getting run over!

Jordan getting run over too :)

Grandma and Grandpa

All of us

We saw a Stephanie Street in Nevada. My name is pretty rare to see on a sign so we were excited to see it.

I do most of the driving now. Doug would prefer to play video games and I don't mind driving when I have an audiobook to listen too. So far I've listened to The Book of a Thousand days and half of Princess Academy.

We left after lunch and drove to Gilbert to my parents' house.

We stopped at Burger King in Arizona and were excited to finally be able to eat inside of a restaurant. We had to in our car at all our other stops. I really hate eating in the car. It's stinky and messy and there's no bathroom. This was our first time eating in a restaurant since Jordan's birthday last year. 


Jordan sat at a table with Doug and me.

 

Sunday, February 28, 2021

Sacramento

We started our big road trip on Feb.18th. We drove to Eugene, OR and stayed the night there. In the morning we got up and headed to Sacramento to stay with Tyler's family until Sunday. We had so much fun with them!
Watching tv in the hotel.


Jackson kicked Jordan accidentally in the hand before our trip and Jordan's fingers were swollen.

Playing darts in the garage.

We played lots of ping pong.

Avery and Jackson playing, with Lila and Rose watching.

We went to the park Saturday morning. We played soccer and bocce ball.







Kenzie with a kumquat from their yard. Lila told her that she's supposed to eat the peel, so she tried it. She didn't love it, but she tried it.

Grace was great at keeping the ball in the air. Lila was too, but I don't have picture of it.

Avery and Jordan, with Coleman watching.


Gracie and Kenzie

Coleman and Jackson

Tyler, Gracie, and Kenzie built a tall lego tower. Tyler had one already built, but they added a ton on to it.

It got taller than Tyler!

They played some minute to win it, while Doug, Tyler, and I played Puerto Rico.


The kids watched a movie before bed.

Tyler and Rose got some donuts Sunday morning. Tyler said he'd get some Saturday morning, and then said we'd just get some on the way to the park we went to that morning, but Doug said we should just get some after the park since everyone just ate breakfast, but then it was lunch time after so we just went home and at lunch. Kenzie thought she'd never get a donut. She hadn't eaten much breakfast because she was saving room for a donut so she was hungry the whole time we were at the park and was sad to not get a donut, but she was vey happy when she got this one Sunday morning :) Tyler and and Rose got a sprinkled one just for her.


Grace, Lila, Avery, Kenzie, Jackson, Coleman, Jordan

The kids in front of a tree in the yard.