roller coaster.

Man, I have been a roller coaster of emotions since having our last baby. Constantly trying to find my happy, sometimes being lucky enough to be content in the moment, but mostly just after finding it sinking back into the deep hole of comparison/failure/not good enough blah-business. It takes me a solid 2 years to get my good ol' self back after having a baby, and I think it is finally coming around...just took a little longer this go around. Thankful for those few friends and my family that have been able to stick around until I got "me" back.

I had a few good "ah ha moments" last week during Conference Weekend. As I have been processing all of my thoughts, I decided there are a few simple things I would like to change. I know I have more than a few to work on, but I am hoping if I start with just 3 or 4 I won't feel overwhelmed and quit {which is what I normally do}. 

I decided to bring this blogging business back again, for 2 good solid reason. I want to always look at the positive, and be thankful. When I use to blog frequently, it made me do that. Blogging made me look at the everyday mundane stuff, and see all the good that happens to my family!

My 2nd solid reason, I love having a good place to journal. I love remembering the simple. I love having a place that I know my kids can look back on, and read how I felt about Mothering, life, them! When I started this online journal, it felt good to get it out. I am ready for that again.

So here I am, hoping to change, hoping to journal the happy.

orchestra concert

Savannah is now in her second year playing the Viola. This year she has a new instructor, and she has complained more about playing. The instructor is a little more intense, and requires a lot more out of the students. 

She just had her first concert this year, and they sounded so beautiful. Like, I couldn't believe the noticeable difference from last year! I guess the intense instructor is paying off, because the kids have really stepped up! 

I am so proud of Savannah. She does so well in school without any nagging about doing homework, so responsible. 

a visit from grandpa and grandma sell

The week that Grandpa and Grandma came just so happen to be a busy one. We had dentist appointments, Pack Meeting for Devin, parent teacher conferences, temple recommend interviews. So, we played the whole week pretty low key. 

We did manage to squeeze in cookie decorating, Nickelmania, the pumpkin patch, genealogy library, a temple trip, a trip to the yogurt place, and lots of studying the scriptures. 

general conference 2018

This is the first year that I decided to be really prepared Conference weekend, and actually plan things so that we could watch and enjoy it. I can't say that we have ever fully watched, and it actually had lots of talks that I knew I was meant to hear. 

My kids were so well behaved, and were excited to see all the games and listen. I was so glad that I did it, and will be making all these things a tradition in the future. It does make it easier the older your kids are to have things like this go off a little smoother. 

The big hits were... 
making ties out of play-doh
listening for words and getting a lego for each word, then building something from them
a treat for certain "hard" words
killer breakfast food for both morning sessions

We had other things planned, but the kids were happy to repeat most of these for every session. 

fall soccer season

This is the first time that Savannah hasn't played soccer, and wasn't interested in playing at all. Devin is still loving it, and is improving with every game. He does struggle with the constructive criticism, so we have had more frustrating times and tears this season than in the past. 

Devin plays well with his team. We are seeing more passing, and less clumping together. It is definitely more fun to watch. This season was the first time he has been nailed by a ball, and you could see the impression on his stomach...definitely knocked the wind out of him.

frightmares playdate.

Devin was lucky enough to be invited to go to Frightmares at Lagoon with his cute friend. He hasn't been in a couple years, so the last time he went he was too small for the bigger rides.

I thought he would be golden on all the scary rides, because we just returned from Disneyland. Turns out the rides at Disneyland ain't got nothin' on Lagoon. Devin started crying on the Cannibal, but it only lasted a few seconds...and was fine. He even went on it again.

He was even able to sleep over at their house, and couldn't stop talking about how awesome everything was. I am so thankful that Devin is able to make friends so easily, he definitely is a social boy.

44 anniversary date.

I decided that since Mom and Dad Sell would be celebrating their 44th anniversary while they were staying with us, we needed to go out on a hot date with all the siblings + spouses. We have never gone on a huge group date with all 10 of us! 

Mom picked Olive Garden to go to for dinner, and they were so sweet to bring out a dessert to celebrate. 

We decided we didn't want the celebrating to end at dinner, and went to Round One bowling. It was nice to laugh, and joke! We did teams - boys vs girls, and I totally pulled it out for the girls with the highest score of 120 {I know, not impressive!}.

It is kinda fun having everyone grown up spending time together. We decided we need to make it a tradition of a big group date, and maybe even doing it more than just annually.

Kuwahara's Pumpkin Patch

We had never been to Kuwahara's Pumpkin Patch, and after reading all the reviews online...I wanted to go check it out.

Maybe it was just the day we picked, but we didn't last long...and it was a little disappointing. One of the kids immediately stepped in the mud, and was grumpy for most of our 20 minute trip. 

I had heard about these really cool displays, like Nightmare Before Christmas...but they were just okay. They do have tons of the cute face cut out props to take your pictures with, which my kids loved. Maybe I just talked it up too much, and had visions of detailed displays that you paid to walk through. 

We all laughed about uploading our pictures on Facebook, and them telling a completely different story than our actual trip to the pumpkin patch. Don't believe everything you see on those social media sites, this trip wasn't that fun.