November 2021- Coen's birthday trip to UT and a visit from Grandma & Grandpa Cowley

Audrey wants to be like the big kids and was so happy to find this backpack. She kept it on all morning.

Audrey's tick bite stayed red for weeks. I started getting nervous. I was glad that I had been organized enough to keep the tick in a ziplock bag in case we needed it to be tested. I sent this picture and a few others (later on this month it actually got a little bigger and puffier) to her pediatrician. I went and looked at the tiny tick in the ziplock bag to see if I could see anything unusual about it. I put it back in the bin next to the sink in the bathroom.

 The next day, the doctor wrote back to bring in the tick to the lab and they'd test it. I went to get the tick and the ziplock was wet and open. The tick was gone! Coen had just been playing in the bathroom an hour before. I LOST it! "WHO TOUCHED THIS ZIPLOCK BAG!" Coen's eyes looked guilty but he firmly denied it. I was so angry because what if the tick had a disease and we needed to test it? I locked myself in my bedroom and text my sister to console myself.  She assured me it was pretty unlikely the tick had a disease, and they could always test Audrey. Brent got home from Young Men and calmed me down some more. To finish a long story, I emailed the pediatrician back and explained my child had just washed the tick down the drain. He gave me a website to see pictures of the few types of ticks that can carry diseases in Oregon and said I could get an antibiotic for Audrey if I was still really worried. After studying ticks and trying to compare to my memory of that tiny tick in the ziplock bag (it was about the size of 3 grains of pepper), I decided she was probably OK. So far so good.

Brent brought Audrey to his office one day and to do errands so I could work.

The HOA planted the wrong kind of trees here, so it was finally the day to chop them down. It was fascinating to watch how fast they worked, tearing down all our trees! They put them into this yellow machine that sucked up the tree and spit out saw dust. They probably fit 20 trees in the back of this trailer.

I had to travel to Utah for work, so we decided to buy a ticket for Coen to tag along for his birthday present. I packed his bag the day before while he was at school and hid it. We didn't tell him until the morning of, that he was going and I would be picking him up early from school! Part of the reason why we didn't tell him early was because we were worried Ava would cry and whine about it for days. She kind of somehow figured it out (but never told us, only our friend). Her reaction was to be happy to have a few days without Coen. Uhhh, good I guess? Coen opening up his early birthday present "ticket to Utah."

Ready to get on the airplane, this was on a Thursday. I thought it would be good to bring Coen because I feel like I don't give him enough attention, with him being the middle child. He also had been so naughty and whiney since starting kindergarten! 

Brent's mom picked us up and we ate dinner and played a round of Clue. It was pretty funny because Coen set up the game and we could just not figure out the weapon! It turns out he had selected two people and no weapons. 

The next day Coen got to play with Emma and I got to see my sisters.

We watched a funny movie, HouseSitter with Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin that made us laugh.

In the afternoon Coen and I went with Natalie's family to the aquarium.

I got to meet baby Olivia. The first time I held her, she cried, but the second time she was happy, check out that smile!

Meanwhile back at home, Brent and Ava had sleepovers downstairs and stayed up late watching movies and doing puzzles.

On Saturday my mom took us to the zoo and we met Laura there. We loved watching this momma monkey with her tiny white monkey.

Coen was thrilled to go on the merry-go-round.

On the way home, Grandpa showed Coen how to put gas in a car. (I think this was a distraction to get him out of the car since he was so carsick). Coen can't really learn in Oregon since we're not allowed to pump our own gas!

Brent took the girls out to Red Robin and shopping at TJ Maxx

Their new clothes:

Audrey was cracking me up when we FaceTimed.

The next day Brent took the girls miniature golfing. I don't think they wanted mom to come home!

On Saturday Coen started coming down with a bad cough, ugh!! He got a fever and got pretty sick, so that was bad timing. At least he had a fun first few days in Utah. On Sunday night, he kept waking and crying because he was uncomfortable and feverish. I had hardly slept and I was going to be in a training at work all day Monday. I explained to him that he had to be brave and not keep waking me up! I finally got a few hours of sleep before I had to go to work. He watched a lot of movies while I was at work! On Tuesday I did my training at work all day and then we flew home late that night. 

Coen was feeling much  better by his birthday. He chose Karen to come to dinner and we had taco salad, his favorite. 

Karen gave him a Lord of the Rings sword and ring, which he was so excited about.

The next morning the kids had appointments at the high school to get their Covid vaccine. We didn't tell them until the morning of, and they were so mad! When they got there though, the school district had decorated the cafeteria to have a space theme and made it to be a fun time! They got "bravery prizes," fruit snacks, and watching a movie while they wait 15 minutes after their vaccine.

Whenever Audrey would see Coen's birthday balloons or his cake, she would say that it was her birthday. 

The way she says happy birthday has also evolved to be "boppy ah you" (happy birthday to you). I ask her to say happy birthday, probably once a day because I love it so much!

Coen, aka Frodo.

Our stake had a Primary activity at a pool across town. It was really fun! Audrey has been getting out her floaties and swimming suit ever since and asking to go to the pool.

Matilda's mom knows how much Ava loves Harry Potter so she bought her Butterbeer when she saw it at the store! Ava had been having a hard week at school and feeling like no one liked her, so this was a nice pick me up.

The same friends invited Brent to go to the U of O football game with them so Brent got to go have a fun night out. 

It was pretty chilly all night, so after this Brent came down with Coen's bad cough and was sick for a week! The kids just looked cute in their church clothes so I had to take a picture.

We sent a card to the kids' uncle who lost his dad. Ava drew a picture of her uncle and his dad fishing.

Audrey started getting really into reading books. I love the quite moments when the kids are reading.

Ava finished up her cooking class at Petersen Barn- it ran for 6 Thursdays. She really enjoyed going, but I don't think she wanted to eat any of the 6 creations they did!

I love this age so much. I just want to freeze time sometimes, so taking pictures is as close as I can get to that.

Ava came out of school one day wearing this "dress" that she and her friends had made. Haha. 

I took Ava on a mommy daughter date to the high school play to see a girl who used to babysit her. Ava is getting so old! We can have a night out and have conversation!

We had Matilda's family over and made pizza. The kids had fun playing hair salon and put bows in all of their stuffed animal's hair.

The yummy homemade pizza. 

The kids had their Primary program in church. Coen left his mask on when he went to the pulpit and talked so quietly that no one could hear what he said, haha. They sang their hearts out and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it and not being on the stand.

Brent sent me this text one day and I laughed so hard I cried. And then I laughed some more. I couldn't stop. I don't know why, but the way the student phrased their story, and the whole situation of why the student needed a make up test just hit my funny bone.

Bob & Tammy came to visit for Thanksgiving! It was supposed to be a surprise but Ava figured it out early somehow (can't sneak anything past that girl!) Coen and Audrey just stared blankly at Grandma & Grandpa when they came down the stairs one morning. Like whaaaaat.

The kids got lots of attention and reading time. The early morning before Tammy & Bob came, Coen threw up a few times. Noooo! I was so stressed we were all going to be sick. We kept Coen in his room for the whole day and then tried to make him wear his mask the next day. 

We went to see Encanto at the theater the day before Thanksgiving. I liked it ok.

While Grandma & I cooked Thanksgiving dinner, Grandpa helped set up our fake tree- the irony was not lost on us!

While the turkey cooked we went on a long walk in the sunshine and played at the park. Everyone took a turn on the swings, even Grandma!

The yummy spread: Rainbow jello, homemade stuffing, green beans, sweet yams, turkey, potatoes, and rolls.

Luckily, no one else got Coen's sickness! We drove to Silver Falls and it was a different experience going in the winter! It was just so wet all around, and the waterfalls were even more powerful. We hiked about 3 miles and then begged Brent to let us be done :)

Grandpa carried Audrey on his shoulders for a lot of the time. She never made a peep!

I really love this park!

The next day we went to a park downtown and then to lunch at BJs. We watched Miracle on 34th Street and I was happy that Ava loved it because I loved it too when I was her age!

We went on a walk around the neighborhood and Audrey fell asleep in her little car!

Drowsy driver:

Grandpa helped paint the columns on the front of our house that needed to be touched up so badly. He helped with all sorts of random projects that we had saved up. Then, just like that, the 6 days were up and it was time for them to go home!

The kids go to gymnastics on Tuesdays and I'm allowed to go in Coen's class (but not Ava's) due to Covid. If you can see the little orange shirt, that's Coen working through a rotation. Usually while the kids are at gymnastics I take Audrey to the library and we choose new books for the week. This is the only extracurricular activity we do right now. I enjoy the days after school reading to the kids, doing homework with Ava, helping her practice the piano, and cooking dinner. I'm glad that we have been arrange my work schedule so that I can have this "mom time."