My Utah Visit to See the Allreds

 My sweet sister Sarah had a major surgery last month and had been on bed rest since then, just trying to recover. I wanted to visit sooner but life didn't allow it. But once my kids started school, I was able to fly out to Utah and go take care of my little sister. It's hard to live so far away from loved ones, so I was relieved to finally get to go out to Utah and help out. 

I flew in late on Wednesday ,the 13th, and Johnny got me from the airport. We got back to their house super late, around 1:30 am. I took a cheap flight and the late night was the consequence. 

I woke up early the next morning so I could take Hazel and Grant to school. Max took the bus earlier so he didn't need a ride. After we got the kids off to school, I made Sarah and I breakfast. Then I went about putting together a little party to celebrate the Allred kids' first day of school. 

Sarah and I went for a short walk too. She's working hard to strengthen her muscles again. After our walk we just hung out at the house until it was time for me to get the kids from school. 

Dinner was delivered by a family in their ward so I didn't need to cook that night. 

I helped get kids to bed that night and then Johnny, Sarah and I watched some TV together. 

On Friday after the kids got home from school, we made homemade pizzas and had a little movie night. 

Then on Saturday I took the kids out to do some back to school shopping. Aunt Carol had sent some money for the kids so we happily spent it on clothes for the upcoming season. 

I also took the kids to the lego store because I owed both Max and Grant birthday presents and that is where they wanted to go to look for a gift. It was pretty fun!

We also made a stop at "Trader Joe's" to get some snacks for another big movie night. This was one of my favorite stops because we just grabbed all the snacks that looked yummy to us. The kids loved this. 

The next day was Sunday and we all went to church. I was able to help Sarah with her hair and makeup and help her feel a little bit more like herself. Sarah and I only stayed for sacrament meeting. 

Later that afternoon we did some face masks. First we did the hair identifier spray and shaved all the hair off our faces. Then we did charcoal peel face masks. Hazel loved being part of the fun. Although she didn't love having to peel it off. We ended up just having to wash hers off, but we all survived. 

On Monday Sarah and I went out together. She was feeling a little bit better and she wanted to go buy some new garments. We drove over to Deseret Book together and then we went to lunch at "Cafe Rio". I was so excited to get a sweet pork burrito! 

Sarah and I had a nice afternoon together but it did completely wear her out. I took her back home to rest before going to get the kids from school. I was grateful for the small sense of normalcy for her though. 

That night Max and I watched a movie together. We had been discussing the book together and when he finished "I am Number Four" we decided to watch it together in the basement. It was pretty fun. 

On Tuesday we had another chill day. I made dinner for us and we went for a walk to the playground together. It was a nice day. We also played lots of card games together. 

During the day I worked to help Sarah get her house a bit more organized. 

Then on Wednesday, my last day Sarah and I went for a walk together, did another face mask and just hung out together. 

After school that day I took the kids to "Fizz" to get sodas. We had been planning to do this my entire trip but we just kept running out of time. 

Then on my last night at the Allred home we ate dinner and then we got shakes from the local ice cream place and played "Disney monopoly" together. It was the perfect way to end my trip. 

When Johnny took me to the airport Thursday morning, I left my little sister crying in her garage. It was a hard good-bye but I'm so grateful I was able to go to Utah and be there to help out and take care of my sweet sister and her family. 

She's not recovered by any means but she is making slow progress and for that we are grateful. My sister is such a strong person and has been through more painful experiences than her little body should have had to endure. I'm so proud of her!

I'm also so grateful for my sweet brother in law, Johnny. He's taken such great care of Sarah during her very long recovery, all while also managing the house and the kids. He's been a rockstar and I'm grateful for him. 

Can't wait until Sarah is fully recovered and feels like herself again!

First Day of School

 Here we are again at the beginning of another school year. I am so not ready for school to start but since no one asked me, we are starting school anyway. 

Tanner started his sophomore year and Bailey started her freshman year at Bentonville West. Tucker started 6th grade at Ardis Ann and Benson started 3rd grade at Elm Tree Elementary. 

We started our day with a big breakfast and although we were all a bit tired from the early morning, it was a good way to start the school year. 

Tanner and Bailey didn't have seminary on the first day of school so they left for school later than usual but still earlier than the younger kids. I dropped Tanner and Bailey off at school and then came back and picked up my younger kids and took them to school. 

Tucker's school is attached to Benson's so I was able to walk them both as far as the front entrance. At that point, Tucker broke off from us and went into the middle school on his own. He was feeling a little anxious for a new school year, but I have no doubt he will do great. 

I did get to walk Benson into his classroom. He's my baby and I was happy to get to have this tradition for another year. 

The kids all had a great first day. I was relieved to hear it. I also had a great first day hosting my annual "Tears or Cheers" pool party. Lots of ladies came and we had a great time hanging out together. 

                                  

                                                          

After school we had a little soda bar as well and then we had a nice first day of school dinner as a family. So that's it. We did it! School has officially started! 

Back to School Dates

 Right after the cousins left, we started all the prep work that goes into getting ready for a new school year. This included our annual back to school dates with the kids. I took Bailey to get first day of school outfits  for the kids, she got to buy a new book and then we drove through chick-fli-a on the way home and grabbed lunch. That was basically "best case scenario" for her and she fully enjoyed it. 

This morning Tanner and I went on our date. He wanted to go to "Crumbl" and then they record store. So that was what we did. Tanner decided on a "Black Sabbath" record and he was quite happy with his purchase. 

Chris took Tucker for lunch today too. Tucker asked to go to "Ramen Nara" and they had a great time together. Tucker loves ramen and he ordered the seafood bowl that came with shrimp, clams and more. 

 

While Tucker and Chris were at lunch, I took Benson our for his date and he asked to get sushi together. Benson loves sushi and so do I so this was a great date for us. 

We ate our lunch and then ran a few back to school errands. We are just about ready for school to start but we are not emotionally ready. The summer feels like it flew by way too fast

We sure love these kids and this fun tradition of ours. It's such a great way to connect with our kiddos and check in with them. 

Now we are getting ready to start another school year and I know the kids are going to do great!

Oregon Herbs' Visit to Arkansas

 Stephanie, Conner & Paige flew out last week to visit us and we made the most of their time with us. We had such a fun time playing together. Although, Tanner & Bailey couldn't play last week because of band, we did our best to have fun without them. 

They flew in on Tuesday morning and we just hung out at home that night and relaxed. The OR Herbs had taken a red eye flight to get here so they were pretty exhausted. So we took it easy. The kids just played while Stephanie napped. Then we ate dinner and got packed up to go to Branson the next day. 

Wednesday morning we went toBranson and we drove straight to Fritz's Adventure to play for the day. The kids had a great time playing on the ropes course and rock climbing.  Stephanie and I had a relaxing time sitting in the massage chairs and treating ourselves to massages while we watched the kids play. 

We played at Fritz's until about 5 pm and by then we needed to go pickup our grocery order. So we drove to Wal-Mart, got our groceries and then went to our room to check in. We stayed at the "Falls Village" which is a BlueGreen resort in Branson. It's one of the resorts we frequent because of it's convenient location.  We unloaded and made dinner and then the kids immediately wanted to go to the pool to swim and to the playground to play- so of course we had to oblige. 

We eventually made it back to the room and got kids to bed. The next morning we took it easy. We made breakfast in the room and then Stephanie and I went to do some shopping. We left the kids at the room to veg out on their screens. 

Once we finished shopping we went back to the resort and we all went to the pool for a while. 

The kids really wanted to make s'mores so we did that too. 

We had also purchased tickets to see "Reza" the Illusionist, so we went to dinner at "Gettin' Basted" and then went to the magic show at the Reza theater. The show was good but definitely not my favorite magic show that we've seen. The kids seem to enjoy it though. Dinner was very delicious, as usual. Stephanie was very happy to get BBQ. 

The next morning we ate breakfast and then got loaded up and checked out. Then we drove to "White Water" and played all day at the water park. The kids had so much fun together and it was probably the most relaxed I've been at White Water before. 

 

Stephanie and I did ride some water slides with the kids and we floated the lazy river with them, but we were also able to just sit in lounge chairs and relax. It was really fun. 

After playing all day at the water park, we grabbed dinner at Chick-fli-A and then drove home

We got home Friday night and relaxed for a bit before getting kids off to bed. 

Saturday morning we met a bunch of our friends at the "Redneck Waterslide" and played there for a couple hours. It was super fun. Stephanie got to meet some of my closest friends and we did our traditional "mom train" .Again, it felt like we were going to fly off the slide. We survived- maybe a little worse for wear but in one piece. 

The dads and the kids made a long train as well and their train was super impressive. We all ended with a few more bruises but big smiles. 

After we finished at the waterslide, we drove down to the state park to eat our picnic lunch. 

Then we drove home and got our massive ice cream cones at Shortstop Grill. 

That afternoon Tanner, Bailey and Conner got to go to a devotional with Pres. Brad Wilcox from the General Young Men's Presidency. 

The kids said the devotional was amazing and Brad Wilcox is an incredible teacher. They really enjoyed it. 

On Sunday we went to church and celebrated Bailey's birthday together. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and hanging out together.  

On Monday we went boating and Chris took a half day off work to meet us there. It was really fun. The kids had a great time tubing together and the lake was pretty empty so it was a perfect day. The sun was hot and the water was cool and we played and played. 

 

After we finished boating we played at the marina for a while because they were obsessed with all the turtles in the lake. They were swimming all around the docks and we even caught some and got to hold them. 

We got home that evening and made dinner and had a nice chill evening at home. We were all worn out and so it was nice to not have any plans. 

On Tuesday we spent our morning and early afternoon at the Rogers Aquatic Center. The kids had a great time doing the water slides and lazying around in the lazy river. Stephanie and I spent the majority of our time in the lazy river. It was pretty nice. The kids had lots of fun together. 

After we finished at the aquatic center, we drove home and then Stephanie and I got ready and went to the temple together. We left the kids chilling at home with Chris and he took care of dinner. 

Stephanie and I also grabbed Andy's before the temple and then went to dinner together afterwards. It was a nice evening together. We thoroughly  enjoyed their last night in Arkansas!

The next morning we took our cousins to the airport and said our goodbyes. Our time together flew by way too fast but we did make the most of it! It was a great visit!