Bowling with Mia Maids

In June we had a Mia Maid class activity: M&M Bowling!  We picked an M&M out of the bag, depending on which color you picked you had a different challenge for bowling down the lane.  Some of them were eyes crossed, backwards, granny style, left handed...

 Nicole had a unique view of "granny style," pretending to be old as she bowled!

 I was introduced to "Selfies"

Outside Fun in May

Happenings in May:

Attended Emergency Expo

Planted Garden

Kyle put in a new door in our duplex

Mother's Day

Hazel Took Her First Swimming Lessons (which she got used to, but wouldn't let the teacher touch her)

Temple

Kyle and Dillan participated in Legos @ the Library

We attended The Sound of Music performed by a local teen group, including Shayden Nagle (cousin).  It was awesome!  Good music, good plot, patriotic, values, family-oriented, love, trying to follow God.

Kids biked the Spring Water Corridor Trail, while we walked.

Ward Talent Show.  Dillan did cartwheels and I played the music video the Mia Maids have been working on during their class activities.

Field Trip to Old McDonald's Farm (kind of lame when we go to a farm regularly for our milk).

Hazel got a twin bed!

Father/Son Campout: Dillan and Kyle got to do black powder rifles, tomahawk throw, knife throwing, obstacle course, paintball slingshot, service, walk on stilts.

Barbecue at the Howard's.

I also had a neat experience inviting the neighborhood girls to Activity Days.  4 of them went.  The topic was missionary work.  They got to meet the sister missionaries, hear all about missions, hear a lot about the gospel, write letters to missionaries, and received copies of the Book of Mormon and the Articles of Faith Card.  They told me the church is Beautiful!  And for 2 of them the card was their first picture of Jesus.  In the car on the way home I was able to talk to them about the Holy Ghost and baptism.  2 weeks later there was another Activity, and 2 of them were able to go.  They earned prizes for memorizing Articles of Faith.  In the car ride home they recited the ones they had memorized and I got to teach them what it all meant!

 Mt. Talbert Nature Park in Happy Valley, Oregon.  We had a picnic first, at the Trailhead.  Hazel hiked the whole thing herself!  Almost 2 miles.

Both Dillan and Hazel were into climbing every tree and stump.  Hazel learned about roots.  They criss-crossed all over the trail and she asked about every single one for 5-10 minutes: "Is this a root?  Is that a root?  What's this?  Is it a root?"  and then she would try to pull in out of the ground!  It was slow going, but we enjoyed the time together.

 The kids and Kaelynn Dover

 Playdate with Dylan (Dillan's best friend) at Blue Lake Park.  They are the teeny kids in the middle.  We were supposed to go to the Splash Pad there, which was closed, that's why Hazel is in a swimsuit.  The park is cool!  Tons of pavilions, grassy areas, playgrounds, a lake, paddleboats...

Life...is...good

 These kids have so much love!

 Dillan learned how to spike his hair.  He spiked it several times a day for at least a week.  He was constantly touching his hair and getting mad if anyone else touched his hair, because it might get messed up!  Then we made a rule that he could only spike it once a day.  Lucky for us, he fizzled and doesn't ask us anymore.  It was hard to wash all that product out of his hair!

 So handsome!

 The kids do chores as negative consequences.  They are getting really good at doing chores!  And good at Following Instructions and Accepting "No" Answers (which includes anything they don't want to hear).  Hazel has masted "Disagreeing Appropriately." I hope I get it on video one day.

They are standing on the legs of chairs, which are laying down.

 Dillan's playing with his laundry instead of folding it.

 Yes, that is underwear on their head!  They are very creative when folding their laundry!

 We went camping at Lake Merwin Campers Hide-Away for Memorial Day Weekend with the Dovers.  The Grandparents own a lot with a camper on it.  We totally enjoyed sitting around doing very little for 3 days!  It rained the last night, but those Oregonians were used to it and very prepared!  We ate normal camping junkfood (which we thoroughly enjoyed) and didn't feel good by the end of the trip, but we still had a blast!  Campfires, s'mores, camping, exploring, eating, good views, good people, our kids had friends to play with, card games, conversations, walks.  Thanks for the fun weekend Dovers!

 Batman Hazel

She sat still long enough to let me French Braid her hair.  She calls it "twisted."

 This is what happens when Hazel and a neighbor play unsupervised in the backyard.

 She's building something for Lincoln

:) Moments like this make me smile.

Improving Spring

One of the biggest things that happened in April was I started a healing diet.  Bone broth, meat, and cooked vegetables to heal my gut (so I don't get those horrible stomach aches anymore).  As soon as I started my stomach aches, belching, tooting, and bloating were gone!  Since then my mind has cleared (no "brain fog") and my skin has cleared, and I've been able to add in more foods.

General Conference was great!  We even had a less-active couple in our neighborhood over for one of the sessions.

 Front Porch Sittin'

Dillan loves doing tricks!  Wheelies are his newest thing, and going off of ramps.

 Play date with Jonathon Hulet

 The neighborhood kids love to come play in our yard because we have lots of outdoor toys.  I hope me and the kids can be an influence on them for good and share the love of Christ with them.  With that in mind, I bought an extra scooter at a consignment sale.  That was money well spent!  Jonathon rode a 2-wheel scooter for the first time and did great!

 They all love each other so much!

 We moved the chairs for vacuuming, and then the creativity starts!  

We went over to Grandma Hardy's today and helped with the berry bushes.  Hazel loves worms.  She'd get a whole handful of them and call them a family.  I think worms are the only animal she isn't afraid of.

 I put this car in front of him, he grabbed it and pulled it in close.

We had a playdate over at the Hulet's house (friends from church).  They had baby chicks that were just a few days old!  Dillan loved holding them and picking them up.  Hazel was scared of them, but we finally got her to try holding one when it was wrapped in a towel.  Smart idea Sister Hulet :)

Dillan's preschool had an Easter Egg Hunt, no food allowed. He got a bunch of little toys from the Dollar Store, way better than candy!  The Easter bunny also visited his school, Hazel was scared, that's why she's as far away as possible in the picture.  I had to carry her over.

Kyle got to take the missionaries and an investigator (Serena) to the temple visitor center.  She loved it! and is getting baptized soon.

Our duplex's patio door broke, so Kyle bought and installed a new one.  I hope we get one for our side soon!

 The Hardy Family Easter Egg Roll!

Who won?....Lincoln!  Somehow he did it with just 1 egg, while everyone else played with 2.

Easter was a great day.  We had some inactive people in the neighborhood sit with us at church.  We sang in the choir in sacrament meeting.  We listened/watched The Messiah while we made dinner.  We had 2 single sisters over for dinner (our friends Connie Irick and Virginia Wolfe).

We also went to the temple this month, signed Dillan up for Kindergarten, went to a high school play "Much Ado About Nothing" (some of the youth in our ward were in it).  

Dillan went to his best friend Dylan's birthday party.  It was super hero themed, all the kids got to dress up!

I went to an all day parenting class.  I have been praying for awhile about what the Lord wants of me, usually the answer is to focus on being a good mother.  So, despite the cost, and not having a car, and needing to take Lincoln with me all day, and it was an hour away, I WENT!  It was an answer to those prayers.  We are implementing what I've learned: Hazel's tantrums are reduced, she can disagree appropriately and follow instructions, the kids are much more helpful and do a lot more chores!  And we are still learning and improving our parenting skills!

We had a Hardy family dinner.

Lincoln has 2 teeth, on the bottom.  He also started eating solid foods, the same as me: bone broth, cooked meat, and vegetables (he has some bad eczema on his legs, this should heal his gut, which will heal the eczema).  He is the first baby I've had to catch right on to eating, no pushing it out with his tongue.  Lincoln is so good at being a baby! 

 I asked Dillan to watch Lincoln while I gave Hazel a bath. They started in the hallway, and this is how I found them!

 We had a barbecue with Kyle's home teaching triangle, the missionaries, and Serena (the investigator Kyle took to the visitor center).  I love that our home could be full of all these wonderful people and children!

They are driving their race cars to Sardie Dix's house.  One day, about a month ago, Hazel made up this person/name, Sardie Dix, and now she's everywhere.  She comes to our pretend parties, the kids go visit her, Hazel pretends to be her, they see Sardie Dix in other cars on the road...