Guest Blog: The Vacation Every Kid Wants to Do by Princess

On Thursday, Tadpole had his last day of Kindergarten. He had to go back to the school Friday morning to pick up his report card and do a last, quick test. Well, while he and I were doing that, The Frog was getting a surprise ready. And as soon as we got home we told the kids to load in the car for lunch. 

We had loaded a bunch of suitcases and stuff in the trunk, and they were well into the visible-from-the-front range, but we threw a blanket over the top and the kids didn’t question it. In fact, the only thing the kids thought was suspicious were the water bottles in their cup holders. 

So, we made it interesting. We got in the car and drove an hour towards Grandma and Grandpa’s house. That kind of backfired, because Polliwog was very upset when we passed their neighborhood, but we got him Wendy’s a few blocks away and then he was happy. After lunch, we pulled out tablets and then the kids paid zero attention and no one seemed to notice that we drove in the opposite direction of home. 

We made another stop in Brigham City to see the house where The Frog’s dad grew up and play at a playground. At this point, the kids were starting to notice something was different, but we promised them we would tell them everything when we got to our next stop. 

And the next stop was a hotel in Logan. 

The look of surprise and excitement was 100% worth it! 

And we had a great trip! Our “theme’ for this trip was “the vacation every kid really wants” and we figured that had a few factors. 

1. A roadtrip far enough away that you can play on a tablet, but close enough no one has to stop to go potty. 

2. A hotel 

3. Everyone having their own bed

4. Swimming

5. Playing at multiple parks

6. Lots of snacks and chicken nuggets and ice cream!

7. A new fun adventure (AKA feeding ducks at Zootah Park)

We spontaneously drove a few minutes into Idaho just so the kids could mark another state of their list. 

But mostly our weekend was filled with snuggles and kid sunscreen and hide-and-seek in our hotel room. Maybe, it was “the vacation every parent really wants” too. 

Guest Blog: Christmas Letter by Princess

Wow, this year went fast. It’s been a good one though. We were able to visit The Frog’s mission in California for the first time. It was really fun getting to meet people and see places that were important to him. 

The Frog has been busy. He got called as the second counselor in the bishopric in July and between that and work, we don’t see him nearly as much as we used to, but he is loving it. In his free time he still enjoys playing the piano and answering trivia questions. Princess has now officially entered the ‘chauffeur’ stage of parenting as I’m sure you will see when you hear what the kids have been up to. When she’s not busy with Mom things, she’s crafting, spending time with her friends or watering her plants. She was a young women’s advisor for the first half of the year, and is now back in her comfort zone: the nursery. 

Tadpole (5) started kindergarten this year! He loves it and is totally thriving. He also did soccer, t-ball, swimming lessons, and tumbling camp. Tadpole’s favorite things to do are read, watch science videos on YouTube, and talk. Not necessarily in that order. 

Polliwog (4) is in his second year of preschool. He did all the same sports as Tadpole, but also threw in a season of basketball, which turned out to be his favorite. He loved it so much, he once caught a rebound off his own face. After he made the shot he was all smiles, even though you could still see the imprint of the ball on his nose. 

Duchess (3) is now going to speech therapy preschool once a week. She took about every developmental test you can think of this year, but at each one she proved she’s just a little smarty pants who is taking her time sharing her wisdom with the rest of us. Duchess took a music and dance class at the beginning of the year, but she was too shy to actually participate. She loves to rock out at home though. Her favorite song is Barbara Ann by the Beach Boys and we literally listen to it on repeat for hours. 

Wishing you all lots of joy and happiness this holiday season. 

- The Royal Family

Guest Blog: A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch by Princess

On Friday, Duchess had her very last day of early intervention therapy. (She will start going to speech preschool instead.) Well, to celebrate, her therapist invited us to go to the pumpkin patch with her. Tadpole was at school and the Frog was at work so it was just me and the two youngest. 

First, we went on a tractor ride around the pumpkins and corn. The kids seemed to have fun while we were on it, but they definitely did not want to go again. 

Then, we headed for the corn pit. I think I should install one of these in our backyard because, holy moly, we had a lot of fun! Honestly, they had to drag me out of the thing. I was sunburned by the end. 

Then, we headed over to the slide, which also had a corn pit as a soft landing. I got hurt last time the kids convinced me to go down the slide, (I have the video on instagram. It’s kinda hilarious.) so, I was happy to sit this one out. The littles had a blast though. 

We quickly walked past the petting zoo animals and then found some tube slides to go down. Unfortunately, we had to pass the corn pit one more time before we could exit. I bribed the children (and myself) with a baby pumpkin from the gift shop rather than another hour in the corn pit. 

When we arrived home, Duchess removed her shoe and this was the result. I even found a piece of corn hidden between her butt cheeks. I should put them in our yard. In a few more visits, we might have enough for our own corn pit. 

Guest Blog: Royal Family Summer

We've had a pretty busy summer so far. Tadpole (5) and Poliwog (4) played a season of soccer and their first season of t-ball. 

Tadpole wasn't convinced baseball was his thing until last week when his coach let him try a few pitched balls rather than off the tee. He's growing up really fast. Reading and writing and asking questions non-stop. 

Poliwog has been enjoying all things creative. We have stacks upon stacks of his artwork at our house including a giant butcher-paper mural he painted a few weeks ago. His creativity even went so far as to give himself a haircut. Thankfully, we were able to repair that one. 

Duchess (2) has been loving playing in water. Pools, splash pads, the bathroom sink, the water dispenser on our fridge… I basically just walk behind her with a bath towel. She's also been obsessed with an Arthur book. She carries it around and makes me read it to her over and over. I tried turning on the Arthur show so I could get a little work done but she was not having that. 

The Frog has been working a lot but has found time to grow some tomatoes and peas hydroponically in our basement. He's also ridden his parents' segway around the neighborhood a few times. 

I've been staying busy. Cooking sourdough, watering my plants, crocheting a little panda bear and, ya know, keeping a house, spouse, and three kids happy. I did get to go to girl's camp with the young women in our ward and it felt like a little mountain retreat, even though it was raining most of the time. 

We've been spending lots of time with our friends. We meet at the park once a week with the neighborhood kids. We've also been inviting different families in our ward over for dinner. 

I guess as a general update, we got a new car. Our 2003 was just getting a little sketchy. 😅 The new one is fancy and has amazing air conditioning. We spent a weekend in Las Vegas and the kids put their coats on in the backseat before we realized it didn't need to be cranked so high. 

And of course, we've had lots of family time. Who are we kidding, my kids are five and under. We've been having family time since the day they were born. But ya see, that's the thing. My oldest is going off to full day kindergarten in the fall and the constant family time will be coming to an end. So we're trying to cherish every second.