First Half of May

Benson broke his toe. He is proving to be our most accident prone child. This one happened because the kids wandered into the garage during quiet time (which they know is a 'no-no') and a large, antique, solid metal wheat grinder fell on his big toe. I wish I would have been more understanding, but mostly I was just ticked off. The next day I had to take him and (and the other 4 children) to the Dr.'s office to get it checked out. For a number of reasons, we were there for 2 WHOLE HOURS. Not even in the outside waiting room where they have a TV and toys. In the tiny Dr. office, where you can't touch anything...It was a nightmare. It ended with them not having a boot to fit him, so they tried to put the "ortho-glass" on his foot, which from experience I knew would be a complete bust. Within an hour, that thing was off and it wasn't going back on. He ripped off any buddy-taping we did, refused to wear shoes to support it... So yeah, it's been a couple of weeks now and the nail is still all black, but his toe doesn't seem to bother him at all. Here's to hoping nothing's permanently damaged. Fingers crossed.


Tulip Festival again! This time with considerably nicer weather. It really was ideal weather. We had such a nice time as a family. We even got stroopwafels at the end! ahhh, perfect ending to a fantastic outing.



I love reconnecting with old friends!! I've been able to get together with Shae, Ashley and Sierra a couple of times in the past few months. This time it was with all of our families together at Shae's house. Our kids all played so well together and we had such a nice potluck outside! Loved it. Get togethers like this make me automatically less controlling as a Mother about the kids food choices, so they inevitably end up eating 2 bites of actual dinner, and then like, 3 desserts.


Davy and Grandma Garner!



This was one of those outings where I probably should have just stayed home, but I felt obligated to go. The kids were so looking forward to the Canyon Grove Carnival and patriotic singalong. I knew it would be a hectic night, but figured Richie and I could pull it off. Imagine the adrenaline rush I had when I randomly decided to check my email around 3, and realized the singalong starts at 315, not at 6 like I thought, in Pleasant Grove. Ahh! I managed to herd all 5 kids into the van in about 5 minutes and then stressed the entire way there, especially knowing that now Richie wouldn't be able to come and it would just be me and the 5 kids at a carnival. I could write all the gory details, but suffice it to say that the kids missed their Patriotic singalong, the weather turned awfully cold and rainy, and it hit all the checkmarks for being an incredibly stressful event. Including nursing Davy in a teacher's lounge while I prayed the other kids would be safe at the small carnival. Expensive prices, low quality, super stressful...Ugh. The kids seemed to enjoy most of it though.


This girl's selfie game is way better than mine has ever been. Where does she learn this stuff?


2 brothers, matching, loving on each other. :)



Pretty front "flower bed"


Best Davy pics from first half of may


Kid's helping re-paint Grandma Garner's garden gnomes for Mother's Day. :)



Another trip to Thanksgiving Point to enjoy the tulip festival! This was a last minute outing, and I was stressed and ornery. But after about 10 minutes of walking around, my mood was fine. But then Miles was down. We switched moods! He had such a great time while we were there, but when he realized we didn't see a friend he was hoping to see, nothing could cheer him up. Drama!


Lindy learns to ride her bike! On a whim, I bought her a "new" bike at Kid2Kid one day because I knew her little one was getting old and too small for her. This one was bigger and had training wheels already on. When Richie got home, she was showing him her bike. I was inside folding clothes, and after about 30 minutes Richie came in with pictures and videos to prove that she just learned to ride her bike without training wheels! I was baffled! I still am! She just hopped on and never looked back. She was pro after about 5 minutes. She crashed the next day, but it never deterred her. She just hopped right back on and kept riding. I have been so impressed by her resilience and skill! I think it has something to do with not wanting to be left behind by her 2 older siblings. She's gotta keep up! Now she can go on long bikes rides with Miles and Gwen and Dad. She absolutely loves it.