Friends Make Everything Better

On Parker's last day of Junior Lifeguards in Newport, Spencer and Mona Kay met us there with their 5 kids and then came to stay the weekend with us! I'd wanted to spend the afternoon at my parent's house to try and avoid the worst of the Friday evening traffic but they were anxious to get to our house so we just muscled through it. It was so cute how the kids totally hit it off and played together when they first saw each other. Caleb, Sage, Gavin, and Parker all know each other. But Rayleigh, Jack, Laurel, and Oakley don't really know each other at all. Laurel and Rayleigh are cut from the same cloth and were bonded immediately. And cute Jack shared one of his trucks with Oakley and was so sweet playing around with her. My kids wouldn't hold my hands on the way to the car but they sure would listen to Laurel! ha ha So funny! Little big girl.

Ironically, Tanner, Spencer, and I all pulled up to our house at the exact same time. Tanner ordered us all some pizza and the kids all swam. It was so fun!

The next morning I had a stake women's conference and it was so nice getting away and "filling my cup" a little bit. I went with Jill and we grabbed a bite to eat on the way home. Tanner was NOT happy that I left. And he let me know it. It was super hurtful but I tried to be strong and communicate effectively to him that when he "allows" me to step away from my responsibilities and see to my spiritual and temporal needs, it not only benefits me but it benefits HIM too! I was so happy when I came home and so ready to show my utmost gratitude to him. But he robbed us both of that pleasure by, well, being selfish and entitled. Sure, it wasn't the best timing to leave with friend's in town but I was gone for 2 hours and I figured while I was gone everyone would just be eating breakfast and getting ready for the day. Anyhoo, we got passed all of that drama.

But the funny thing was that when I got home, everyone was loaded up and ready to drive to LA for some authentic Chinese food! I thought we were going to be home relaxing all day so this was a surprise to me. The kids fell asleep in the car and I wondered if we would even make into the restaurant. But we did and they actually did "ok". We don't take our kids out to eat for a reason.... Spencer and the family loved it, though and it was a nice little field trip. And actually, Parker really loved it too!

That afternoon we called Audrey to come over and manage the children while we went out for Yogurtland and a couples massage. Ahhhh, just what I needed! Tanner was a happy camper after that. We set up Moana outside so the kids could swim and watch a movie. It was a beautiful night and having friends over makes everything so much more fun!

Sunday was a blur and I missed church again because Jack was asleep. Poor kid only gets one decent nap a week because Sunday's are the only day we don't leave the house (except for church). But we had a nice day relaxing and it was much needed!

Now that Junior Lifeguard's is over we can kind of get back to real life. Jill invited us over to swim and we weren't about to pass that up! We were suffering through triple digit temperatures so the pool was perfect. Rayleigh discovered she could jump off the high rock and did that about 6 thousand times. And she also dove for rings in the deep end- we are talking 8 feet down! She blows me away! I'm so proud of her!

That afternoon I invited everyone to come back over to OUR house to swim! ha ha the kids were winding down and you could tell they were getting tired but that was our goal as mom's so #winning! The babies stayed on dry land and ate fishies while the big kids played in the pool.

Tuesday was an "at home" day so we could catch up on some things. But we needed to run a few errands. These babies don't know how to nap in a bed. They always fall asleep in the car! Parker needed a hair cut so I just sent him in and sat in the car while they slept. When I went in to pay afterwards, the stylist said how impressed she was with Parker. She said he seemed very smart because he used big words and was super easy to talk to. I'm proud of him for telling her how he wanted his hair and for being brave and just walking into the salon all on his own like it was no big deal!

Meanwhile, my brother found some old pictures and was sending these out to everyone. ha ha Classic!

Jon and Laura celebrated their 19th anniversary on June 27th. I called them into 3 Arch and they had a nice, romantic walk on the beach at sunset. That's my kind of date! They are such a great couple and such an inspiration! This picture was taking on their first date in Sundance!

Rayleigh took this picture of me the other morning. I'm constantly tired. Like, all the time. 33 weeks!

Courtney, Jill, and I took the kids to Newport Dunes for a little beach day. The kids had blast and were so good! Parker was thrilled to have friends there to play with. He brought a boogie board and one to share (so thoughtful) and they swam out to the whale. The babies were content to play on the swings...

Rayleigh loves babies... lucky for her, she gets her very own in less than 2 months!

No joke, we waited in line for a 1/2 an hour to get these ice cream cones from McDonald's. I promised my kids ice cream after the beach and this was the best I could come up with. The things we do for our children.... why did I think it was a good idea to give them ice cream in the car?

Luckily, Jill invited us over for a little swim so we could cool off. Parker shared his nuggets with Reed. After swimming, Parker had scouts! I think it's safe to say Parker had a fun day!

Thursday was a horrible, terrible day. A low point for me as a parent. My patience was at a level 0. My emotions were at a 10. I cried. The kids cried. I screamed. The kids screamed. I called Tanner sodding uncontrollably. I vented to him which he internalized as me blaming him so I didn't receive the empathy I was looking for (once again, when he came home we sat and talked for 2 hours and got to the bottom of everything and were able to get on the same page again). There were many little fires that I put out all day long (normal mom stuff with overly tired/bored kids) but the worst was when I looked out to see a naked Rayleigh on top of the wall (the one that borders the pool/street) and ran out to get her. When I would go one way around the pool to grab her, she would go the other way. I was crying and begging her to please just get down and she giggled and ran the other way. I didn't want her to fall and I was completely at my wits end! She walked all along the wall to the neighbors house before I was able to get her down and she said "Sorry mommy" over and over. But I spanked that girl. Hard. And then I screamed at her. I mean fire out my eyeballs screamed. And then I ran upstairs and cried and cried while she was downstairs crying and crying and I texted Tanner (it was about 5:30) and told him he needed to come home. I was hurting the kids and I needed help. Of course by the time he actually got home we were all settled down. I had the kids bathed and jammied and watching a movie and dinner in the oven. But it was a bad moment. And I'm so ashamed of myself. Being pregnant with 3 other kids is hard.

But this little picture sums up Rayleigh. She "put Parker to sleep". I love her little bum hanging out of her undies (which she peed in 20 minutes later...) Thankfully, today we were able to meet friends at the park briefly, and then Jill took Parker back to her house to swim and have pizza while I packed and got ready for our Utah trip. Jack went down for a 20 minute nap which was frustarting but better than nothing. Courtney brought Parker home in the afternoon and I can't help but feel so thankful for my village. 

Who knew that after all my many years of yearning for a baby I would be blessed with 3 in 3 years. Nothing could have prepared me for this phase of life. It is hard. But I am glad I have every resource at my finger tips to make this experience easier and enjoyable. I truly am so blessed.