Snow!!!!

This is the view from my front door right now. I love it. I miss the snow living here and am always so excited when we get some. All 4 kids are outside playing right now with friends. I love that too. The house is quiet and warm from out wood stove and peaceful.  Now if I can get something done today instead of snuggling up with a book ;)

 So Grace may not be quite ready for motherhood, which is totally fine. She has years to wait. This girl put her heath class robot baby in the washing machine at 11:30pm because she couldn't get it to stop fussing. We are all still laughing about it. She had tried wrapping it up in a blanket and putting it in the closet but could still here it crying, so she brought it downstairs and put in the washer.

Sophie, Grace, Abby Waters, Caiden Arny

The girls had their Winter Orchestra concert this week. They all played great. It is hard to believe these girls are all so grown up! 

Happy Thanksgiving

The Pikes and Sam and Allie came for Thanksgiving. It was super fun to meet Allie - she is wonderful! I worry that it was too wild and crazy for her, our house is pretty small for 12 people, including 4 loud boys. We (Pikes, Sam, Luke & I) ran the Greensboro Gobbler on Thanksgiving morning. It was soo fun. I think it needs to be a tradition. All around us were families celebrating together. The run raises money for First Harvest Food Bank. Luke got super festive and ordered a turkey hat weeks ago to run in.

It was all of the boys first 5K. I was so proud of all of them! Seeing these 2 cousins running together was so sweet. Tal actually threw up twice before we left for the race, but he was determined to run. Luke beat me by about 10 seconds - he had a kick left at the end and I so did not. I was happy with my  10 minutes miles ;)

After delicious turkey dinner we played the annual Hardy Bowl. It was so fun, super warm temps, Molly barking up a storm. Em is seriously amazing and got this selfie of us all on the trampoline. Luke being Luke front and center...

Day after we kept our newish tradition of getting outside to enjoy nature. We hiked in Haw River State park - super close, mostly just a pretty walk in the woods, but lots of fun. Ben and Sam pulled this tree down and the kids took turns bouncing/hanging on it. Ben is the master of always creating fun - seriously!


I am grateful to have family that is so loving. I feel blessed that our family is full of incredible people I love to spend time with.

Halloween 2017

 Super Girl, Weird Dad, Lucy Carlyle, Antony Lockwood, George Cubbins - characters from Lockwood & Co book series. Grace made business cards to hand to people when they asked who she was...we had fun making the costumes. Rapiers, salt bombs, chains are for fighting ghosts.

 Grace's pumpkin is SMOAK - a name and symbol from one the shows she adores, Luke did Harry Potter w/wand, Sophie's pumpkin is obvious, Noah did 3 cute faces, you could turn his pumpkin around and get a different face. This one was the cutest.

Not sure what Noah is doing here....

We met our neighbors, the Dogetts, this summer and asked if the kids could fish in their pond/lake.  Jacob Arny has caught the biggest fish so far, 6 lb bass. Luke has had so much fun fishing there! 

Luke & Noah's soccer team

WWII traveling airplane exhibit. I let Noah get out of school a few hours early and he and I went. I can't remember what the planes are, Noah could tell you. They all still fly which is super cool. Noah was in heaven. It was fun to see him so excited. When we first got to the air field a WWII bomber was doing a fly by. I wish I could have gotten a picture of Noah - it almost brought tears to my eyes. 

Puppies at the Farmer's Market. Sophie and Grace tried REALLY hard to bring one home. They were super sweet, but would get huge and take sooooo much work to teach and train. The puppy Grace is holding was named Greg and she LOVED him. Puppies this young just let you hold and love them.

Talus Baptism - September 2, 2017

Pikes before the baptism

 The kids and I drove to Richmond for Tal's baptism. He was baptized in the Pikes much played in and beloved James River.  

The confirmation was just family and a few friends from the Pike's ward. Tal asked Noah to say the opening prayer, Luke to talk on baptism, Grace & Sophie sang I am a Child of God with Sophie playing the ukulele and Grace led the music. Both grandma's shared their testimonies and Bayden said the closing prayer.  I was proud of my kids and there was a sweet spirit there.

  We had a blast the night before the baptism at the Pikes. Emilee is seriously always fun. My kids adore her.  We went out for pupusas as a huge group in a small restaurant where no one spoke english and then went back to the Pikes's and played silly games. It was fun to get to know Ben's parents and just hang out and laugh together.

I am so grateful for my family. Mom and Dad go into the MTC tomorrow morning, it was the last time we will see them before their mission. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of them with me and my kids. The older I get the more I appreciate and realize what a blessing I have with my parents and brothers and sisters.

First Day of School 2017

 5th Grade - I can't believe this is the last year of elementary school for these boys!

8th Grade - and I can't believe this is the last year of middle school for my girls! Time goes so fast...

Last week of Summer

Eclipse viewing

We didn't get to drive to SC to see totality. It was kind of a bummer. Noah was sick and I just didn't feel good about leaving him home for the day while the rest of us went. Seeing the eclipse  still fun. We ended up driving quickly north and west of home as clouds came in and a thunderstorm over our house. We watched first from a cemetery in Madison and then from the Wal Mart parking lot in Mebane when clouds covered the cemetery view too. Cool stuff! Krispy Kreme had chocolate glazed donuts to celebrate the eclipse. They actually were gross, way too sweet, but fun to get on our adventure! We did decide that in 2024 we are all going to drive to Ohio to see totality ;) Boys will be 17 so maybe we actually will. I really, really want to see totality!

 

Last picture is of Luke fishing at the Dogett's pond. We met Jane at the Farmer's Market and she said the kids are welcome to fish, have to have an adult which is kind of a bummer. I totally would let him go by himself if they would. He has only caught little bass so far, but Jane told us there are huge ones in there, also big catfish. I guess someone in the family used to stock it regularly and you are supposed to take over a 100 lbs of fish out every year! So we told her we would start bringing home what we catch, even the little stuff to feed to the chickens. Luke ordered a new pole online and was excited about trying it out. It got caught in a bush and broke in 2 places, was a huge bummer. We are going to see if the company will let him return it, not sure since it was user error.

He and I were at the last Farmer's Market yesterday morning. We have sold almost all of the honey we were hoping to! One of the organizers of the market and another farmer found out that Luke was there trying to make enough for a new pole, they are both local men from here in Summerfield. It was a super slow day, not many customers at all. At the end of the morning as we were packing up they called Luke over and gave him $15 each and said that a boy needs a fishing pole. I thanked them, as did Luke, lots of times. So many good people in the world. I wanted to tell them no, one is a fire fighter and one a farmer, both with young families. I think they are probably less financially secure then we are, but felt like we should just accept gratefully. I did tell them Luke had been praying to make enough and in "Southern speak"thanked them for being Godly men. When this world seems so crazy and out of control with hatred and anger, I want to remember how full our world is with good men and women who love and serve and create peace and love in their lives with the Savior's teachings.