Big Fat Random Catch Up

Busy times at the Reynolds household. 

The "biggees" from last weekend to this included Kate working stage crew at her school's end of year musical, Kate performing at her end of year harp recital, Brandon and I going to our city's Arbor Day sale and purchasing a couple trees that we planted (keeping our fingers crossed they will survive this high wind, high desert climate), me speaking in church, Kate playing the harp in church, and Will passing the sacrament in church for the first time--all last Sunday. Attending a special meeting where we found out the boundary lines for our ward (congregation) were being moved to accommodate the growth/potential growth in our surrounding neighborhoods, so starting tomorrow we will be going to a new building at a new time and with partly new people. (And I got asked to fill a position that will be a little more involved than teaching Will's weekly Sunday School class--I'm going to miss that!!) On Monday, my youngest bro-in-law, Brent (19), moved into our unfinished basement for about 3 weeks to record music. (Luckily, I like it. Unluckily, our home is almost always noisy. There's maybe a 2 hour window of quiet 4 days a week when Rachael is in preschool--and that's if Yuki doesn't bark and the wind doesn't blow like mad.) That same day, after MUCH research and practice on Kate's part, she scored every single class, time, and teacher she wanted for high school next year in 3 minutes flat right when the online registration opened. (Like college for me back in the day--crazy!!) Brandon and I went to dinner that night for our anniversary and stuffed ourselves on deliciousness at a place in Salt Lake we've been wanting to try, The Copper Onion. (It was good, but not overwhelmingly so.) Will had an end of year orchestra concert mid-week, Brandon left for San Diego the next day (for a week) to attend the annual AUA (American Urologic Association) meeting and say good-bye to the place that's been home and "Grandma's house" for the last 25 years. (His parents are selling and downsizing now that they are empty nesters). Yesterday I got a big fat cortisone shot in my shoulder to hopefully alleviate the troubles I've been having, and then last night I went to the annual Power of Moms board meeting in Park City held in conjunction with the all day retreat I missed today due to Kate playing in an annual harp festival at BYU (and an unexpected funeral for an AMAZING lady--so sad), but after swinging a fussy baby in a car seat for a mom who was trying to gather her stuff to get ready to go, I did something MAJOR to my shoulder and now think I will probably need surgery. (Heavy sigh.) So yeah, lots of stuff going on around here. (Why is it so satisfying to download this stuff from my brain and onto the blog?)

And I've been Instagram-ing. It's my new favorite way to do social media. So quick and easy, and since my account is private it's still a pretty small group and not at all overwhelming like Facebook. (Though it has that potential, I'm sure.) In any case, my poor "nice" camera has been so severely neglected lately because of the convenient awesomeness of my iphone camera, and many of the following pictures are the product of all my Instagram-ing . . .

One of Kate's latest creations on the Black Plague. She's got a bit of a dark side when it comes to art. I think I've mentioned before how she's a big Tim Burton fan. If she were going Goth or Emo on me I might worry about it, but we have lots of interesting conversations about the things she draws, and it's just INTERESTING. She's really into the human struggle, good vs. evil, etc. The funniest thing she has been saying lately when I say something like "I can't fit all the groceries in the fridge" or "I think I'm getting too much water on the lawn" is (with sarcastic disgust under her breath that makes us all laugh), "First world problems!" Anyway, go here to her Deviant Art account and do me a favor--make a comment on one of her drawings! Her first digital art drawing she just finished and posted today (she saved up money to buy a digital art tablet that she's been practicing on like crazy) is the blue and purple anime girl with furry ears. I think it's absolutely amazing!! I also found out yesterday that BYU is very well known for their Center of Animation, recently winning their 12th Emmy in 10 years. It would be cool if she could get into that program in a few years. ANYWAY! Here's the drawing I started talking about at the beginning of this paragraph:

 

A typical night at home after dinner when I'm exhausted and just want to lay down and chill:

Bedtime horsey rides: 

 

Going to the temple in the middle of the day while Rachael was at preschool. What a treat! I can't even imagine life when she's in school full time. Bittersweet, of course, but to be honest, I've been in this stage long enough to feel like I really have milked it for all it is worth and can move on with satisfaction:

Brandon just couldn't refrain from digging up these ill-placed bushes any longer. We want to put a nice dwarf Japanese maple in this spot hopefully this season:

My new haircut that only looks this sleek and straight the day I get it done (how do they DO that?)--which is why I took a picture:

Elizabeth doing her non-fiction book report on a book about the Maltese breed:

Rachael at the annual fundraising run for the school with her best buddy. (Yuki and I ran a lap with them, too.) They held hands the entire time. So cute:

Beautiful day at the garden center:

I dug this hole for the cherry tree while Brandon was in the hospital on call all morning and a good chunk of the afternoon. He did the fun part:

It was so warm that day the kids played outside in the hose and had a picnic (while Kate drew on her digital art tablet inside . . . ):

Had a fun Facebook comment thread going after I posted this "picture" on Facebook. Who else has this happen when they send their husband to the grocery store?

Rachael said to me just before I took this picture, "Mom! First I was half calipitter, half human, but now I'm half butterfly, half human." Well, obviously:

 Things that appear on the kitchen floor out of nowehere:

Kate practicing eyes with the pen that her art professor Uncle Trent sent her in the mail. So nice (the gift and the eyes):

What my laundry room looked like after a week of busyness:

Kate doing the online registration for high school that I mentioned:

Observing screen free week this week. Things have broken down a bit this weekend (my fault), but the three younger kids literally spent every spare minute of about four days playing with Brent's old Legos. It was awesome:

The treasures that came home from school after the Renaissance Fair:

My instagram label for this one was "She wakes up as a princess." 

Passing out treats at the end of her week as "Star of the Week":

Rachael says the funniest things lately, things she picks up from her older siblings. Recently when she thought something was "cool" she said to me, "Sweetness. Like a boss." This is just one difference between first and last children.

How many rubber clothing items have I shoved onto little Polly Pocket bodies in my life?

Rachael's half birthday cake and half a song for her half birthday:

Kids playing with my phone:

Morning shower:

As if cutting up human bodies with little knives during the week isn't enough, he just has to get out there and chop up wood with a big axe on the weekend:

Kate and Will got in on the action:

The little girls played in the "forest" as they call it:

I think I turned on the sprinklers a little too early:

The afternoon I spent at Apple getting my shattered iphone screen repaired. A sad day:

Homemade berry syrup for my kids on a Sunday morning because they insist on making pancakes every week and I forget to buy syrup at the store. It's super easy to make. Why use regular nasty corn syrupy syrup again?

 Rachael couldn't love Yuki any more than she does. She calls her her little sister:

After several months and several hours, I finally got my email inbox (previously filled with TENS OF THOUSANDS of emails) down to  . . . ZERO. (All part of Mind Organization for Moms.) Bonus? I found this email from my Japanese "mom" and got back in touch with her:

 Last curry dinner of the season. Japanese curry is best eaten in cold weather, for sure:

This sock monkey kit came in a cardboard school bus with a teacher, principal, and 6 students. (It was the one thing Elizabeth really wanted for Christmas.) Look at how I found her one night after going to bed:

 Before school cello practice:

 Morning ride:

 A particularly cute bento lunch for Elizabeth:

 Classic:

Elizabeth's class opera called "Books Have Feelings Too." (They wrote the plot, words, and melodies, and then a "professional" turned it into a score. It was impressive!) Why do I have a feeling I blogged about this already:

Crazy weird snowstorm earlier this week followed by some of the most beautiful skies:

This picture was taken on the same day on my way to Kangaroo Zoo to meet my sister-in-law, Emily, and her kids who are are living here for the next couple months while Brandon's brother, Marc, directs the spring opera at BYU. (We hope this turns into a permanent job! He just finished his PhD in opera directing in Texas.) Gorgeous, if not chilly, day:

Rachael and I came upon these horses and decided to give them the rest of the apple she was munching on:

Met another adorable niece for the first time:

That end of year orchestra concert I mentioned:

I admit I will be sad one day when I have no more little girls playing dress up:

Just something cute that turned up on my bed one morning:

Dr. Oz's "detoxifying" quinoa, ginger, nutmeg, and prunes (with coconut milk) breakfast one morning. It's better than it sounds, and very filling:

Rachael having a front yard picnic with her fiance one morning before school. She is very set on it:

More screen free week fun this morning before the funeral and harp festival:

And last but certainly not least, here I am on the BYU campus in the very spot where Brandon proposed to me . . . the first time. Whatever happened to my installments of "A Love Story"? I really need to get back to that!

This should tide my mom (and Brandon) over for a few days!