The Groundhog was WRONG

We've had SUPER "abnormally" warm tempertures lately.... according to the locals anyway. Every so often we will have days in the 60s and 70s! Then followed by days in the 30s and 40s.....and back to the warm temperatures. Guess that's why they get tornados here. :) #MotherNatureisDEFINITELYafemale

I am NOT complaining though since I hate the cold. I can just FEEL my mood lighten on a sunny outside day. And we have been soaking them in!

The twinsesses LOVE being outside. And when they're not, they try to GET outside.

I went out to get the mail and walked back to the house and saw them like this.

Playing in their sisters' room. My heart explodes when I see stuff like this.

The weather has been warm enough you can EVEN wear see-through tutus without shoes and not be cold! #hersmile

 A perfect picture of childhood at its awesomest.

We were drawing chalk outside and I decided to draw a house with everyone in the family. Bronson and Camden outside playing basketball, Emerson and Royce playing legos, 4 girls playing dress-up upstairs, the twinsesses in a port-a-crib....... Then I drew me and Brooks snuggling.

Isn't that like my dream peaceful family picture?

Then Iris walked up and said, "EW!!!! How come you drew a picture of you and Dad taking a bath?!"

#disturbing #traumatized

Then the GIRLS started drawing homes with  the family in them too. It's funny how all of our pictures were of the family in the home, but everyone has different realities and dreams. 

For example here is Iris'

She is pointing to Brooks, who is NOT happy about cooking food in the kitchen with Everly and Kellyn at his feet. (I know the feeling.)

Where am I you ask? She drew me at the store....by myself with a smile on my face!

How did she know I smiled so much while I was shopping by myself?!?!

I only got a part of Aleeya's house.... but we are all in it and the far left shows Royce in his room playing with the twins. I was in the kitchen. But this is Aleeya outside playing soccer with Dad. It's her favorite thing and I thought it was sweet.

Speaking of that girl.....here she is all dirty coming back from our outing to the park.

Isn't this why they MADE those swings like that?

My girls could swing for hours. Infact it was very close to that, while the older kids played in the creek.

Kellyn said she had to pee. So I told her to go hide behind the trees and drop her drawers. She ended up going behind a tree close by. Oh well.

Afterward she poked her head out from around the tree and asked if I had any toilet paper. 

"Um, no. Kellyn just hurry and pull up your undies."

"Mom, do you even have any WIPES?!"

"In the van. But you're okay Kelly, just hurry and shake shake and pull up your pants."

(I was busy pushing the girls on the swing)

She gave me a hesitant look and disappeared again behind the tree.

Kellyn was taking a while and I noticed she took her pants off. 

I walked up to her and looked behind the tree and found a big pile of fresh mushy poop.

"Kellyn, what's THAT?"

"I don't know."

"I DO! It's POOP! I thought you told me you had to PEE!"

"I did."

"No, that's POOP!"

"No it's not"

"It wasn't ME! It was just THERE!"

"Let me see your undies.....(I check them).....how come the leftovers in your undies MATCH the poop on the ground?"

"Wellllllll, it wasn't ME!"

She STILL denied it and probably will to her grave.

I mean what can I expect from someone who spends a LOT of time talking to her reflection.

With VERY long discussions about her scriptures.

Sickos

The week after we got back from Miami Emerson got sick with the fever/3-5 day/flu bug....and it slowly but surely got us all. Actually for 3 weeks it slowly made its way through everyone except Brooks and Bronson. Everly and the babies were the last ones to get it. 

I had kids laying around right and left. I KNEW how they felt too so I felt sorry for them..... except Camden since he just has to assure us he has it worse than everyone else. #mancoldchild

Before Everly got it, I told Brooks how my older kids got this bug, but the one I need slowed down STILL hadn't gotten it. Well, I got my bad-mom wish.

There was a LOT of snuggles going on. I really liked it.

We would just sit and read. When I needed to get up and clean/cook or even shower, I came back and she was STILL in the same place. NOTHING had been messed with, moved or eaten. 

I'm awful, aren't I?

This was when I was making lunch..... they were dropping like flies.

No one was really onery when they were sick. Just lazy, sleepy, snuggly and personality-less.

Until my twinsesses got it. 

MAN, were THEY mad about being sick. 

5-6 weeks after it started Wynn is still trying to battle a fever. I think she got another round. But at least just one of them is onery sick now.

And SPEAKING of sick...... 

we played another round of our BeanBoozled Game for our Sunday Game Night.

The prize for the winner this time is they didn't have to do their kitchen job the next day.

Emerson, our previous winner, saw he was on the "table" cleaning the next day and new that was easier anyway and it wasn't worth eating something nasty. So when he spinned and it landed on the "spoiled milk" jellybean, he was out.

I did my best to stay in and lasted 4 rounds, but I COULDN'T eat another barf jellybean.

It was down to Bronson (who got a bad jellybean every.stinking.time), Brooks and Royce.

And the winner was ROYCE!!!!!!!!

He HATES doing kitchen jobs. The prize was worth the torture!

#everyonehasaprice 

Miami

Brooks' work sent him to Miami for a week long conference.

I knew it was coming up so mentally you just prepare for a week of easy dinners and not having your best friend around.

Brooks told me that his mom wanted to come out during that time for me. 

I didn't know if she thought I needed the help or what. But I told Brooks, "Great. I can definitely handle the kids by myself so I don't want her to feel like she has to come out to help. But if she wants to come out to keep me company, that sounds perfect!"

Brooks left on Sunday and Pat got here Monday.

I can basically 100% tell my girls apart now, but for some reason the above picture I have no clue who is who. Oh well, it's cute anyway. (I'm almost POSITIVE the one on the right is Wynn but I don't see the bump on her ear. ????!!)

Brooks texted me during the day to tell me that Bronson needed to read a letter that he left on his desk for Family Home Evening that night to the family. I couldn't find the letter anywhere.

Brooks insisted he JUST left it there.

Then I looked on the ground and found cut up pieces of paper, remains of an envelope, scissors and "Everly's fingerprints" all over it all.

It was like a puzzle at that point.

It was a letter Brooks left to SURPRISE ME telling me that I would be JOINING IN HIM MIAMI ON WEDNESDAY!!!!! 

(Pat had already spilled the beans when she arrived here, but it still made my belly do so many flips!)

These two were quite the sneaky duo. I was quite impressed that Brooks even thought to have his Mom buy my ticket and then pay her back....because I would've seen it had he used our card.

The best part? I was going ALONE!!!!

I packed four books for the trip (I finished one before I left..... I couldn't resist), snacks, swimsuit, clothes and my pump and I was OFF!

I literally (and creepily?) kept a smile on my face the whole time in the airport. I tried very hard to refrain while sitting next to someone on the plane to wipe it off my face. Only a book could do that. Phew, I brought three. :) It was so cool flying into Miami. I had never seen it during the day before.

I felt like clicking my heels as I walked outside to grab a taxi. Then I stopped.....looked around and realized that I was in another country..... or at least that's what it felt like. NO one was speaking English around me, the smells and looks were those of Brazil or another Latin American country.

My taxi driver didn't even speak English (or Spanish or Portutuguese) so there was really no communicating as I sat in that VERY expensive ride..... still smiling.

And there was Brooks waiting for me at the Marriott when the taxi pulled up. 

Total dream come true.

The place was right on the bay and so beautiful and dreamy with the constant breeze.

That night we went out for the most amazing pizza from an authentic Italian restaurant. It really was the best one I have had.

 

I only wanted to eat half of mine so I could save the other half for my lunch the next day when I sat by the pool! Brooks finished his off easy.

Welp, my plan didn't exactly go as planned since Brooks ("Captain Generous") saw a homeless man asking for food on our walk home and he handed him my pizza. 

I will admit, I almost walked up to him and took it back....

During the day Brooks was at the Conference in the lobby while I just sat by the pool and read. He did have a few breaks when he came out to swim or play a game of ping pong with me.

I didn't really leave the poolside though that first day. I loved reading and not worrying about stopping for snacks or naptimes or worrying about anything.

Turns out I DIDN'T worry about anything and didn't put on sunscreen. You can see on my arm how they were bent holding my book up the whole day.

It was only the front of my body too. It may look like I'm blushing but no, that was the color of my face. 

After his Conference we decided to take a shuttle to South Beach. #lobsterlady #hot

I love the look of coconut trees by the beach. Brooks wanted to be like his brother Gabe and try his hand at climbing the tree for a coconut.

Apparently it's harder than it looks. I don't think he ever TOUCHED the coconuts but it was a enough to send the picture to the kids back home and have them be impressed. 

The beach was BEAUTIFUL. I've missed the beach. 

The Atlantic Ocean reminds me of all our family trips while living in the Carolinas with the warm water. Such a stress release for me.

AND we got a kick out of all the people at the beach. I was glad my boys weren't there though for some parts because apparently wedgy-swimsuits and thongs are the only way to go there?

But I DID send this picture to my boys at home......only because it's funny and to make them laugh.

#speedosformiles

There were these two ladies feeding the seagulls. I had to just stop and watch. Then she threw me some bread and told me to try feeding them.

It was SO incredible. They would just hoover over me....so very close just waiting for me to throw some up. EVERY time they caught it too.

And I would usually scream just a little.

They would call down for more and fly in place right above my head.

I really can't describe how neat I thought it was. Kinda magical

We found a fun place to eat right off of the beach. 

It was delicious and I took some leftovers with me...... all the while thinking, "Where are the homeless people NOW, huh?" I was willing to give that to someone. #givemebackmypizza 

The next day I ventured out during Brooks' Conference and STILL couldn't help but feel I was in a foreign country. I'm pretty sure I was the only blonde I saw the whole time there. And I'm NOT EVEN BLONDE ANYMORE!!!

It was so busy and a perfect place to sit and people watch and read...... out of the sun...... you know, for the whole lobster, thing.

I REALLY hated leaving. I mean, I missed all my kids the twins and all, but I was so sad to leave Miami. As we were getting in the taxi I pulled out my phone to video tape how long it would take Brooks to start drilling the guy with all sorts of questions. But I couldn't pull it out fast enough. It's like RIGHT when his hiney hit the seat he has to play 20 questions with anyone he sits by. 

At the airport it was nice eating what we wanted and when we wanted. Even this teeny $16 grilled cheese sandwich didn't make me feel bad when you are using up the rest of Brooks' daily allowance from work.

Pat picked us up from the airport and had Kellyn and Everly with her. Apparently Kellyn had screamed and screamed most of the drive to the airport and is "lucky she was still alive" when we got in the car. 😂 hahaha

It was SO nice having someone witness a taste of the emotional roller coaster I ride with that child 

and also have someone start to understand the expert level of "sneaky" that Everly has mastered.

(Grandma's lipstick and toothbrush)

Apparently while we were gone the babies were great (no surprise there), the older kids "took care of themselves" and "knew just what to do"....... which gave Pat PLENTY of time to focus on the two at hand..... Kellyn and Everly. I love these pics of her time with them.

Painting nails.

a LOT of reading

The kids would ask her to text me pictures of their Play-dough creations

They loved watching how-to-draw things on youTube together . #everlysglasses

A quick yogurt outing with Grandma before she had to leave. #wetookeverytable #notenoughchairs

I'm SO SO grateful for a husband who "gets" me and knew I would treasure that quick trick so much. And his partner-in-crime, Pat for "holding down the fort" for me and running it so smoothly. (I came home to my house cleaned and all my cupboards/appliances/inside the fride and windows rubbed down even!!!)

It was a such a dream and I needed it SO badly.