October

 We started off the month with General Conference at Brittany and Baydon's house. Our kids have been begging to be able to go and stay the night at their new house and it finally happened. I drove down early on Saturday while Tanner took Mariah and Chet to their soccer games. I took the youngest four to Old Navy to shop for some clothes for family pictures that were coming up later that week. They were giving away balloons and we ended popping three of the four within the first ten minutes. But there weren't too many tears. 

Tanner listens best when his "eyes are closed".

Eliza and Jack spent a lot of time running throughout the house and screaming at the top of their lungs thinking Uncle Baydon was going to get them. He played along for the first ten minutes and then the anticipation of him jumping out from any corner was enough to keep them on edge for at least another hour. Eliza lost her voice from all the screaming and shouting. 

We love time with family at General Conference and hearing the words of prophets and apostles. 

Austin found poison ivy at the cousin's house, he has a real knack for it. So we had to postpone family pictures to give his face time to recover. Uncle Baydon brought some medicine from his office and Tanner ended up giving Austin a steroid shot and I think that helped him recover a lot faster than he has in the past. 

Vivienne was "helping" Tanner with breakfast and found the red dye. It looked a little like a murder scene, but it washed surprisingly well out of her pajamas and the dish towel. Her hands had a nice red hue for a few days though. 

We got to go to the Blank Park Zoo for a field trip. We took a picture of Eliza in this turtle shell three years ago so it was fun to recreate it. 

We only lost Vivi one time, and she felt no distress being away from us...wish I could say the same. I guess I should just be grateful that she wasn't in an animal enclosure. 

Asa was an angel baby and slept most of the time. 

We decided that our favorite animals were the giraffes. But I must say the rhinos were a close second for me. When we very first got to the zoo the seal tank was empty and they were cleaning it, and the Australia exhibit was closed, but when we circled back around, the seals were back in their tank and we were able to see the wallabies and kookaburras. It's a small zoo, but it is just the right size for me to go by myself with six kids. 

We had a few watermelons in our garden this year but they weren't very big. Tanner decided that he would save them and carve them for October, and I scoffed at his idea, thinking it wouldn't really work. This is what I came home to one afternoon. The watermelon jack-o-lantern is sticking its tongue out at me...I was proven wrong. 

Shera came to visit! She made a traditional Chilean tea for us and taught us a little bit about her mission. She also shared some Chilean candy with us; it was delicious! The kids really loved the Chilean dessert she made, they were like little donuts. 

Shera is such a delight to be around. She always sees the good in others and loves with her whole heart. We were so happy to get to spend some time with her. 

I came in to Vivi dancing while Shera sang and played the guitar. My kids are so lucky to have older cousins to look up to. 

As we were leaving Costco we saw a man with a little parrot on his shoulder; of course I couldn't walk by without saying anything and he put him on Shera's shoulder. He said he takes him everywhere and the bird will fly around some but always come back to him. It was so cute and full of joy, just like Shera!

I came out one morning to Austin sitting next to Josie like this, it made me laugh. That dog is spoiled. 

Sometimes Vivi can be nice to Josie, she was snuggled up to her whispering in her ear about what they could see outside. 

We went to Autumn Acres with some of our homeschool friends and even though it was really windy, the kids had a blast. I enjoyed visiting with friends while the kids ran around. 

The big kids spent most of their time in the corn, which is usually for the toddlers, but they stacked tire tubes on each other and then tried to fill them up with corn. I had to intervene a little when it started to escalate into a wrestle match...boys. 

We got to have Aunt Natalie at the end of the month. We put her right to work helping with the pumpkin carving. The kids did most of their carving all by themselves and they were really pleased with their creations. 

Chet's haunted house and a "cat that looked like a chicken". 

Eliza knew exactly how she wanted hers. I love the cute little face. 

Mariah is all about cute...never scary. 

Austin wanted a little bit of everything on his pumpkin. 

 Vivi painted her pumpkin and only tried to stab her siblings pumpkins with knives a few times. 

Our HSAP does a "Friday Fun Day" and we had our first one this fall. The kids made turnovers and were able to pick their own filling. Even though Vivi isn't a part of the HSAP, they still let her make a treat each time. Then the big kids went on a scavenger hunt, learned about leaves, and painted rocks. 

I had no desire to put any kind of effort into costumes this year. So when Chet jokingly said he wanted to be a banana for Halloween I went with it. Mariah decided a monkey would go great with Chet's banana. 

Austin wanted to be a magician and Eliza was excited to be his rabbit. 

Vivi wanted to be a "pincess" until she saw Eliza's costume, and we had to order her a bunny costume as well. They were so adorable. And the suits were perfect for the cold weather. 

Chet and Natalie decided she should be an ant/aunt and Mariah made her antennas. It was so nice having Natalie there to help me with the ward trunk or treat. I don't think I would have been able to do it without her. 

The next day we had Stake Conference; Natalie left the same time as us to spend some time with Brittany's family. Our kids were excited to stay at the Newton's house again. Asa was amazing and slept the whole night. Vivi was basically living on candy from the trunk or treat Saturday morning, and had a few epic melt downs but we survived. 

Mariah was given the opportunity to speak in the Saturday morning session and she did so well. She wrote her own talk and brought such a sweet spirit with her message. We were so proud of her. 

We went home Sunday night and Natalie and the cousins came up for Sunday dinner. Then we also got the cousins to come up and stay a few nights for Halloween. Tanner had been working really late nights and I did not want to take six kids trick or treating in the icy cold wind, so we were able to convince the kids to have a Halloween party instead of trick or treating. 

Natalie painted everyone's faces...

We had Jack-O-Lantern quesadillas with tomato soup for lunch...

There was some dressing up going on...

The kids watched The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and Coco while Natalie, Brittany and I went to the Mustard Seed and the grocery store.

We made witches brew (homemade root beer)...

And made all kinds of spooky snacks...

We ended the night with monster mash (sloppy joes) and no one complained about staying inside on that cold, cold night. That night for scripture study we told family history stories and talked about how important it is to know who came before us and the choices they made to help us to be where we are today. I'm so glad Brittany and Natalie were there, they did most of the fun stuff that I never would have been able to do with a baby. They are some of the best! 

3 Months of Asa

•  He's a big time drooler, the front of his clothes seem to always be soaked
• We are loving all of the talking he does. He has a lot to say. 

This picture makes me so happy! 

• Still not a fan of his car seat, but I think he is getting a little better. His siblings do a good job of trying to keep him entertained in the car. 
• He has the most heartwarming smiles that are my favorite, except when I think I've finally gotten him to sleep only to look down and see him smiling up at me. Little stinker. 

Chet got this one and I think the angle is kind of fun...but yes, his siblings are always right in his face. 

• He's laughed a couple times and it is just so delightful. He seems to only do it on Wednesday nights when Tanner has church meetings, maybe he knows I need the extra little boost. 
• He had his first cold at the beginning of the month and then we ended the month with another one. so the two of us haven't been getting very much sleep. 
• I'm still working on getting him to bed before 11, but he isn't convinced that is the best option. 

His favorite place to sleep is in my arms...

• He is starting to enjoy the carrier more and will sometimes take long naps in there so I can get some stuff done. 
• He loves sucking on his fist and tries really hard to shove it all the way in his mouth. 

It is my favorite when my babies start to interact more with others. You start to see their personalities come out. We are so happy to have Asa in our family. We're tired but love this little boy so much. 

Two Months

Asa is now two months old.  

This last month was back to real life after a month of recovery. Asa gets hauled wherever we need to go. He is not a fan of his car seat, but he seems to be getting better as long as it's light out. 

He got to cheer his siblings on in soccer and did pretty well for the most part. 

Eliza is his biggest fan and asks to hold him all throughout the day. 

Vivi still will plug his nose occasionally (she thinks it's hilarious) but she's learning to be soft. 

He seems to have some tummy issues that make him fussy, but I think he's getting better...or at least I hope he is.

We try all kinds of positions at night to help him calm down...this worked that night.

He usually will only take good naps in the swing or in our arms.

He isn't a huge fan of the wrap but if I can get him to fall asleep then he will take a good nap in it.

He has had really bad cradle cap but it has gotten better. 

His little coos and smiles are making it all worth it

He's still staying up late most nights but usually gives me a four or five hour stretch of sleep.

He has decided that a bottle is not a good substitute for his mom, so that's a bummer. And he hates the binkie...even the $15 one I bought out of desperation. Getting him to go to sleep requires lots of bouncing and pacing the room...he makes us work for it. 

Though he is high maintenance, we love this little boy so very much. He brings us so much joy. 

Chet turns 10

Chet's in the double digits! This boy has changed so much this last year. First, the obligatory birthday interview:

1. What do you like most about yourself right now? 

Probably that I try my best to be fair. 

2. What do you think your future job will be?

I have no idea. I would like to live on a ranch, but there's lots of hard things that come with that. A bunch of fun stuff and a bunch of hard stuff. 

3. What do you love to eat? 

Spaghetti and Hawaiian Haystacks (Chet has gotten pickier this last year. He used to eat anything and everything but now he's a little more particular...I blame COVID. 

4. How do you like to spend your time?

I like to spend time outside as much as possible and if the weather isn't the nicest I will sometimes read or do origami. 

5. What are you good at?

I feel like I'm pretty good at soccer and basketball. 

6. Who are your best friends and why do you like each other?

Probably my family. I like them because they usually support me in what I'm doing and they're just fun. 

7. Who is someone you look up to? 

My dad. I just like what he does and I feel like it's usually the best choice and I just feel like he tries to do his best. 

8. What makes you sad? 

When people are unfair, that makes me upset. But what makes me sad is when people aren't being kind and when I haven't been kind. 

9. What is your favorite outfit to wear?

Basketball shorts and t-shirts 

10. What makes you really annoyed?

When people aren't fair. (If you couldn't tell, Chet has a strong sense of justice...he's trying to learn to let things go for the sake of peace at times.)

11. What makes you feel proud?

When I fix stuff and when I make a good choice. (Chet loves fixing things around the house. He'll work hard for hours if it's something he wants to do. But often emptying the dishes or cleaning the living room seems like the hardest thing he's ever done...but he is getting better.)

12. What makes you happy?

Being outside and playing sports. 

13. Which of your nicknames do you like the most?

Chetter

14. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you lately?

Probably during soccer when I played really well on defense and in the goal.

15. What do you do when you feel sad?

Sometimes I go into my room and take a break or I go outside. 

16. What's your favorite thing to do with Mom? 

Talk with you and listen to stories that you tell. 

17. What's your favorite thing to do with Dad? 

Talk with him and play games and sports with him. 

18. What's your favorite thing to do with Mariah?

Have her read with me or play sports with her. 

19. What's your favorite thing to do with Austin? 

Origami and play sports with him. 

These boys never let us forget about Mario Cart on Saturdays. Chet and Austin are almost always together. 

 20. What's your favorite thing to do with Eliza? 

Listening to stuff she says because she says funny stuff without even trying to. And watching her play with Vivi. 

21. What's your favorite thing to do with Vivi? 

I just do stuff with her, whatever she wants. 

Vivi was having a hard day and went into our room to cry. Chet followed her in and in no time she was giggling. She loves her big brother and it makes her day when he plays with her. 

Chet still loves to fish and is so good at helping his siblings. He is just as happy as they are when they catch a fish. 

So grateful for Bethany getting these awesome pictures. 

Chet brings Josie into his bedroom every night to sleep with him and if she doesn't want to be on the bed, the boys join her on the floor. When I asked him how he could sleep with a stinky dog he said, "I can't breathe through my nose so I can't even tell that she's stinky." 

He is quite the jokester and loves to make people laugh. The other day he tried to do the "smolder" and I laughed at his attempt. Now he just randomly flashes the face to see me smile. 

Chet is an amazing helper. He often comes to me when I'm making dinner and asks how he can help. He makes lunch and breakfast when I'm busy with Asa and he loves to organize things in the house. He was helping so much at his birthday party and when I told him that he didn't need to help and should go play with his friends he said, "I like the feeling of being in charge." Mariah quickly replied with, "I can tell." He has wanted to be in charge since he was a toddler. 

The night before Chet's actual birthday Asa didn't go to bed until almost midnight. Just as I was getting into bed I remembered that I hadn't decorated for Chet's birthday like I usually do but I was so exhausted that I just hoped he would be ok without the decorations. He was the first one up the next morning and sweetly told me that he didn't mind at all and had never been a fan of the gold tinsel curtain that I always put over the doorway of the birthday child. I had forgotten to get bacon for his birthday breakfast and so I asked him if he would be ok with donuts instead of pancakes and he was excited about that. Mariah and he made his lunch and he helped me with dinner as well. Which is just the way he likes it. 

It has been so neat to watch Chet grow and mature this past year. He has such a strong desire to do what's right and has been learning to apologize when he makes a mistake. I am so grateful to be his mother and can't wait to see him learn and grown for another year.

September

 September: the start of the school year, cooler weather (not as much as we would have liked), soccer and time with family. It was full, and at times chaotic, but there was so much good this month. 

While I was pregnant and then sleep deprived with a newborn, the kids had fun watching the Junior Great British Baking Show when I would nap and Austin decided he wanted to make one of the recipes (Chockie Stack) for FHE. It took a while before we were able to do it, what with a newborn and all, but he waited so patiently and it was delicious. I risked an irritable baby to try it and it was totally worth it. 

Eliza made a bed in a laundry basket for Vivi but Josie seemed to enjoy it the most. She is always getting on Eliza's nerves because she wants to lay on all of her setups for play. 

Here's an example of one such setup: blankets laid out and pillows everywhere. This is usually what the family room looks like each day. 

The oldest four started soccer this month and Austin and Eliza had their last games the last week of September. Eliza enjoyed soccer a lot more this time around and Austin applied what he had learned in the Spring and did really well. He is starting to understand the game more and was able to put himself in good spots to be able to score and also noticed his teammates more and had some awesome passes. Vivi loved soccer as well and spent most of her time wandering away or trying to steal all the snacks. 

One day I went to the grocery store to grab something and on the way home I heard some rustling and looked back to see Sean. The stinker must have jumped in the car before I left the house. I'm just glad he didn't get out of the car at the store. 

Chet has been so excited for his birthday. I was a little nervous about how it would all go down with a six week old infant, but Chet did almost everything on his cake and helped so much setting up for the party. Tanner was on call and we had soccer games that morning an hour and a half away from home. I had so much help at the games from some friends. We had to move fields after the first game and they helped me haul all our junk and make sure Vivi didn't wander off. I don't know how I would have done it on my own. Just minutes before their next game, thunderclouds rolled in and it was canceled. We just barely made it to the car before the rain started pouring. Once again, I wouldn't have been able to make it to the car in time without the help of friends. 

Chet was worried that it was going to rain during the party and I was too. I didn't know how I would keep 19 kids entertained in our house. But by the time we got home it was beautiful and clear and everyone played hard outside. When I asked Chet what activities he wanted me to do he told me not to worry about it because they were just going to play foursquare volleyball, basketball, frisbee golf, and pickle ball in the shop, which made my life a lot easier. Chet really wanted soda at his birthday and we accidentally got way more than originally intended. All the kids were walking around with sodas in their hands the whole time. Best Day Ever! Talk about a sugar rush. Brittany's family came up to celebrate as well and I was so grateful for their help.  

Chet wanted "Aunt Brittany's carrot cake" and I'm happy to say that he felt like mine was close enough to hers. 

 

The family gave Chet their gifts on his actual birthday. Austin made a fall tree, Mariah bought him the game Battleship, and Eliza bought him a glow in the dark football and spent days making him different things. Vivi just tried to convince everyone that it was actually her birthday the whole time. Typical two year old.

Chet reacted perfectly to all his gifts and gave his siblings big hugs. 

Now that piano has started again the younger three get to hang out with me. We've gone to the library a couple times and the park. 

School is....going. I don't know why I always worry about doing school with an infant, the toddler is the hard one. Vivi spends her time cutting up anything she can get her hands on, or drawing on everything. It keeps us all on our toes. But she has figured out faces so that's fun. 

Our Stake held an event called Come Unto Christ at His Temple. Tanner and I were able to do Initiatories and while I was in the temple the kids got to help clean up cobwebs around the temple grounds. Vivi kept telling everyone that "I made the temple". The kids got to walk through the lobby of the temple as well. We then hurried home to get ready for Grandma and Grandpa Crossley and the Hiltons to arrive that night. 

The next day we blessed Asa, and Tanner was called as the new Bishop of our ward. Asa was perfect during his blessing, but then cried the whole time Tanner was being set apart...but then Brittany worked her magic and let Asa drool all over her arm while he slept. We are so grateful that Tanner's parents were willing to come out for a very short stay and Brittany's family were there to support us. While Tanner is feeling very overwhelmed, he is so grateful for the ward members' faith in him and sustaining prayers. We know there are going to be great blessings through his willing service. 

Tanner was still at the church and Baydon took the picture. Sure love all these people. 

The hardest part of being Bishop for Tanner may just be the suits, but he couldn't bring himself to button the top button of his shirt...there's only so much he can do.