Party, Games, Dentist, Swimming and Biking, Chores, Heads Visit

We went to a ward party on Friday. It actually worked out well that Lewis had been sick that morning. James stayed home with him and was able to join in for DnD with his cousins. Not a lot of people were at the party, but we still had a good time. The kids helped me make a delicious cake: white cake with peach and raspberry curd and whipped cream on top. Who knew that fruit curds were so delicious? (Thanks, GBBO!)

We played a round of DnD with a couple of friends Saturday night. Samantha set it up like a murder mystery, and it was so much fun! We've also been playing Quests of Yore with Joseph and Kenny. It's a game based on the one in Onward and is like an intro to DnD with some different rules. I'm the "quest master", which is pretty fun.

I took Lewis to the dentist today to get 3 cavities filled, and he did great! As a bonus, I finished my book while I was waiting.

We've been working on teaching the older 3 kids to swim. We went together to the Rec Center on Thursday, then James took the older ones Friday and Monday. Hopefully, the older 3 will be decently good swimmers by the end of summer. The pandemic ruined our plan to teach them last year.

Joseph learned to ride a bide a few years ago when he was 8, and Katie learned last summer at the age of 6. Kenny, on the other hand, hasn't wanted to, but he's 9 now, so it's time. I've worked with him over the past week for probably at least 5 hours. He's pretty wobbly and has gotten a few scrapes, but he's well on his way to being able to ride for fun and without any more coaching. We just need to work on his steering. The other kids pretty much hopped on and rode off into the sunset, but that hasn't been the case for Kenny. I wonder if being older makes him overthink it too much. I'm not sure, but I think I'll work with Lewis much sooner, like when he's 5. :)

James and I came up with a chore chart for the older 3 kids. I can't believe what a difference it's made! I still have plenty to do, but I don't feel so overwhelmed with all the housework from all the extra people at home. I wish I'd made it a lot sooner.

After a busy morning on Tuesday, the Heads arrived around dinner time and brought pizza. We hung out during the evening while James and the older boys did mutual.

Wednesday, I played Quests of Yore with the boys while James went shopping with his mom and the littles. It was nice to catch up on some things too. I cooked dinner on the grill and we all went swimming at the rec center afterward. It was pretty much the perfect summer day.

We left Thursday to drive to Rexburg and split kids among different cars. It made the ride a bit easier, but not any shorter. Everyone went to bed late, but we were safe and happy.