Stitches

I've been super careful to follow all of the instructions that the Doctor gave me to heal properly. Even though I have been very careful some of my stitches are coming loose. I got really worried because I didn't want them to come out before they were supposed to and I especially didn't want them to snag with my tongue and cause it to open and bleed. Ben convinced me to call the office and I'm glad I did; they were able to squeeze me in.

Once in the chair, the Doctor came in and checked things out. He noticed that 2 different stitches were coming loose and he did what he could to tie them tighter and out of the way of my tongue. He also cut off the extra so it wouldn't be in the way and accidentally get pulled. I felt relieved that he was able to take care of that and I can continue to heal without worrying.

Dinner and games

Since our time is quickly coming to an end, we wanted to spend as much time as we could with as many people as we could. Tonight we got together with Melissa, Brandon, and their kids. We planned a dinner and game night. To ensure that we had plenty of time, we planned a simple dinner of hot dogs and mac n' cheese. We had a few sides and a dessert as well. We got there early too to give us a little bit more time.

As soon as we walked in, the boys ran off to play with their boys. They were laughing and running downstairs as fast as they could. Gabbi went and sat on the couch. I wasn't sure why she didn't want to go and find their sister, but there wasn't much moving her. Melissa then came up with a handful of games and we went to the table to have some fun. The older kids joined us in some of the games which was surprisingly fun. We paid a few rounds of Wits and Wagers and then stopped to make dinner.

When it was time for dinner we called the boys up and we gathered for a prayer and to dish up. Everyone got what they wanted and sat down to eat. Even though it was simple, it was really good. The kids ate it up and all of them came back for seconds. When they were done, they ran off again to continue playing. They even said that they were having a Lego game competition and couldn't wait to see who the winner would be. I wasn't sure how that was going to work out since the Lego video game doesn't really have a winner, but whatever makes them happy.

We also went back to our games after we cleaned up dinner. They brought out Apples to Apples, Uno, Say Anything, etc. While we played we talked, laughed, and reminisced. It was such a fun night and I didn't want it to end. Before we headed home for the night, we planned one more night to get together before we leave Utah. 

Bikes

The kids have taken advantage of their summer with bike rides. They want to go out as much as they did in Provo, but to their dismay, I won't allow it. If they want to ride on their own, they are limited to the sidewalk in front of the house and as long as I could see them. The only time they got to further their path was when Ben or I was with them. Today was one of those days when we went with the kids on their bike ride. They wanted to venture around the block behind Mom and Dad's house. We went around a few times before they got sick of the same thing over and over again. We promised them that we could go for a better bike ride another time and we ventured back home.

Birthday

This year for my birthday it wasn't all about not me. Not that it is, I don't normally like to have a fuss made over me and this year was no different. I did get a gift from Ben and the kids, some rings. I got a new CTR ring and a tri-colored ring. I have always wanted the tri-color ring because to me it could mean many things; our three kids, live laugh love, Ben myself and God, etc. It was a simple design but still pretty.

After opening the gifts, we headed out for the day. We grabbed some lunch at Chick-fil-A before heading to Salt Lake. A Lego convention was in Utah, and we got tickets to surprise the kids. They had no idea where we were going, but when we pulled into the parking lot and saw the giant, and I do mean giant, Lego heads they were literally breathless. They were jumping up and down and couldn't wait to go inside. Once inside, we had our tickets scanned and then given a few instructions before going into the main showroom. 

When we walked through those curtains it was almost overwhelming. There were so many Legos built and displayed in all sorts of ways. The first thought in my mind was keeping the boys from touching all of the Legos. We quickly gave them a few rules before we walked over to the display tables. Owen was on cloud 9. He wasn't sure what to linger at to get the full effect and what to move through quickly so he could get to the next one. The rest of us just walked through leisurely like you would a grocery store.

Luckily, we hadn't been walking around for very long when they announced that they were going to have a panel starting in 10 minutes. The guest speakers were contestants on Lego Masters season 2. The kids were so excited to hear that their favorite builders were going to be there and that they could get a picture with them. They walked quickly to the chairs that were set up in the front in the hope of getting a good seat. When they came out everyone was cheering and hollering. The Bearded Brothers, the Moms from Utah, and one-half of the Asian Scientist team. When they sat down, they each shared something special about their time on the show and then took questions from the crowd. Owen was even brave enough to stand up and ask a question.

When they were done, we could walk through a line and get autographs and pictures with each of them. When it was time, we got up and got in line. The line formed quickly, luckily, we were pretty close to the front of it. While we were waiting the boys went into the building center. They had all sorts of Legos of all sorts of sizes that kids could play with. It reminded me of the random Lego building stations throughout Lego Land.

When it was finally time for us to go through the receiving line, we called the boys over and first met with the Bearded Brothers, then the Asian Scientist, and then ended with the Moms. Each of the Lego Master Builders gave them a trading card with their autographs on it as well as posing in a picture. Then they each asked them what type of Legos they liked to build most. When all was said and done, they showed them some of their favorite builds. There were builds that they did without any manual, completely out of their imagination. They were all so nice and so engaging with the kids. It was worth the wait in the line.

When we were done talking with the Builders, we continued to walk around the display tables. Owen kept dragging me from one table to the next to take pictures. I'm pretty sure I took pictures of every build. I have to admit, some of them were pretty impressive, but other I had seen before and was built following a manual. Anyone can do that. The ones that were done straight from their heads were by far the most impressive and some of them were pretty big. After walking around each table, Owen wanted to go again. The only way I could get him away from the table was to tell him that he could pick something out. That was almost a mistake. He had a hard time deciding...they all did. Owen ended up choosing some retired Army Legos, William got the police car from the Lego Movie, and Gabbi chose Cinderella and her coach. Now that the experience was complete, we made our way out the door and to the van.

We headed back to Ogden and the kids asked us what we were going to do. We told them we weren't done having fun. We made one stop at home before heading out again. The kids figured out what we were doing when we asked each of them to grab a pillow and a blanket. Ben grabbed the couch cushions, our chairs, and the radio while I grabbed some blankets and games. As soon as we were ready to go, we got in the truck and hit the road again. The kids asked us what we were going to see. That we would keep a surprise. We stopped at Walmart to get some treats and grabbed some Little Caesar's Pizza, and drinks from Maverick before heading to the drive-in. 

When we got to the drive-in we had to wait for them to open the box office. At this point, the kids still didn't know what we were seeing. When it was finally our turn to pay, they figured out, we were seeing Free Guy. Ben and I saw it in South Carolina and loved it. We both knew the kids would love it and were glad that we were able to go to the drive-in one last time. It was playing with Cruella. The kids and I had seen it, but Ben hadn't. After paying we found a place in front of the screen. We got as close as we could, being in a truck, and got things set up. When we were ready, we pulled out the pizza and started to eat dinner.

The pizza was good as always, but we also got a fun treat. They had a special brownie this month and we thought it would be good to try. The hype wasn't as good as it tasted, but the kids liked it. When we were done eating, we cleaned up our mess and pulled out our games to pass the time until the movie started. We played a game called Dotz. It's a grid game with large dice. It's a lot of fun and this was the first time that Ben was playing it. He loved it as much as I did. After a few games, it was dark enough that it was time to watch the show.

We were right, the kids loved Free Guy and told us that we would be buying it when it came out. It's a good thing we felt the same way. Today was so much fun. It wasn't all about me, but I wouldn't have wanted to spend it in any other way.

First day of school

End of summer meant back to the school for the kids. They were nervous and excited all at the same time. They however were sad as well. They knew their time in school in Utah would not be long, but they all agreed that they wanted to start the school year, and they did.

The boys were really happy to be back at North Ogden again and for two entirely different reasons. Owen was happy to be back to rekindle old friendships that he had when he last attended and William was happy because he got the teacher he wanted, Mrs. Hull. She was always so sweet to him when I brought him with me while I volunteered in her class and they've had a special relationship ever since. He really couldn't wait to now actually be in her class. They were happy and ready and literally jumped out of the van when we pulled up to the school building. I didn't have to worry at all about whether or not they'd have a good day at school.

Gabbi on the other hand was really apprehensive. She's attending a school that she's never been to let alone heard of. I tried to get her in at North Ogden Jr. High, but was told (by the secretary mind you in a not very nice way) that it wouldn't be worth my time to try. They are a closed boundary school and can say to any boundary exceptions. With their numbers, the likelihood of her getting in weren't very good, so we set out to find one that was an open boundary. Sadly that meant going outside her comfort zone. We were happily excepted to Roy Jr. High and crossed our fingers that that was where Kamree attended to (found out that it wasn't). 

She was excited about her classes, but worried about not knowing anyone. We went to her back to school night and she seemed a little bit better now that she knew where her classes were. Hopefully she would feel the same way today and she went for real.