Swiss Days and Boys Weekend

This week was full of two things: Prepping for Swiss Days, and Swiss Days. 

I have spent so many hours this summer working on some new products to offer alongside our book at our Swiss Days booth, and creating with Kindal. Everything takes so much work behind the scenes. I am grateful I get to work with Kindal. She's so creative and I just admire her in a million ways.

This week we had our supply drop off for Asher's preschool, and he was so cute there. He loved seeing his school with me by his side but I knew he'd be worried to be dropped off alone the next day. The preschool is in my friend's basement and I ended up having to chase him around her house and catch him to be carried down the stairs... not how I'd like all drop offs to go :) But this is just a transition and he'll get it!

It did feel really weird to drop him off that first day and have 3 hours with all my kids in school. I had work to do for Swiss Days at Staples so the minutes flew by. Babies are so busy and life is shifting. I'm grateful for each stage, but it's hard to imagine a life without babies and toddlers around!

Wednesday I left for Utah and had a busy four days preparing for Swiss Days and then running our booth. We stayed up until 2am working on Wednesday, left at 7am Thursday and set up all day and ran all our errands, took a quick break to go up to the Heber Valley Christ walk, then came back and worked again until 1am. Friday was a full day running the booth and it was really so fun to be there with Kindal. I know this was hard for her and I was so proud of her. We were in the booth from 8am to 8pm and then went home to bind copies of our new workbook until 1:30am again. Then Saturday was 7:30 to 7:00 in the booth again, take down, and load up a bunch of different cars to get our stuff and inventory going a bunch of different places.

This was such a learning experience. Next year I want my family there -- I just needed my van and needed Michael and Westin's help! So we'll probably switch things up a little and hopefully no late-night binding will have to happen either. We just really spent all summer trying to get our new coloring book, workbook, and affirmation cards together, so packaging was very last minute.

I flew home Sunday and really missed my boys. It's hard to find balance in life, and I don't think it's ever perfectly achieved. But I'm grateful to juggle the things I juggle.

The last view of this little crib. Four little boys slept in this, for the last 10 years!

And goodbye to our little toddler bed. 

He was nervous for drop off but he really did have a good time.
We do not have runners, or impulsive children.
But we do have clingy, cautious cuties.
Pros and cons to every character trait :) We sure love Asher and he's going to love gaining some independence this year.

My first all-kids-in-school hours were spent at Staples,
getting some prep done for our Swiss Days booth!

"business cards" kids can color at our booth.

Success! Proud to show me his ice cream cone.

In Utah and finally together!
Kindal and I had some late, late late nights together before and during our Swiss Days booth time.
Swiss Days was SO MUCH WORK and we learned a lot. 
The weeks leading up to it were really different because of deciding to do this, but I'm grateful we get to create together. We were both so exhausted!

FULL CAR heading to Midway.

Setting up our booth. 
I love Kindal's mountain mural so much.
She's just so good at creating beauty and magic.

Kindal and her dad made our shelves out of two old ladders owned by her great-grandpa plus some wood planks from his house. And that table used to be his door.
They are just such creative souls and it's amazing to watch what they do!

Meeting Elder Kearon was really special!
Hopefully he has forgotten the embarrassing thing I said to him but I unfortunately never will :)

Fijn had a booth by us and brought us a drink to try.
Meeting other brands and creative people was one of my favorite parts of the weekend!

Do we look so official?

My family was really, really kind to help me so much this weekend.
Ali was at our booth all day Saturday.
At one point she had some random puppy-sitting duties and I just laughed at this -- she has never been one to be at all comfortable around animals haha.

A top-10 booth award!
That means our entry application to next year's market will be approved,
and it was just so validating to see all of Kindal's beautiful vision be recognized.

And back home, these boys had a good time with their dad.
Childcare was tricky for this one... but things work out, 
and I'm grateful for that Swiss Days Lighten Print weekend.

Ranger Cabin + Lots of Corn

We lined up a lot of fall this week. We had Asher's orientation for preschool, which is so hard to believe. He'll be at an in-home preschool that my friend runs, and I think that's a really good fit for him. We had orientation for Bennett starting Let's Play Music. This will be a different piano journey than the traditional route I'm used to, but I think he's going to really like it. We're skipping flag football for Westin and doing basketball instead, and Camden and Bennett are sticking with karate.

I love that three of them will be at the same school together, and I'll have some time with Asher plus 6 hours a week with no kids. That blows my mind! This stage just always felt so far away.

I feel SO busy with Swiss Days prep right now. Kindal and I have been working hard on new products this summer and it has taken so much time. Plus house projects while the bathroom is getting done, school prep, Young Womens, and Comma work. It has felt a little overwhelming with the boys home all day this summer, but I really do love all the things I'm busy with. So I'm grateful.

We picked SO MUCH CORN this week at the church's field. The boys love doing that and then making deliveries.

We ran away this weekend to the Buckhorn Ranger Cabin, which felt totally in the middle of no where. We hiked, played Uno, made easy meals in the cabin, and enjoyed a couple days away. I love that Michael finds fun places for us to go explore. He's happiest when he's unplugged in nature with his cute boys.

We came home Saturday night and Sunday was Stake Conference. That's always another day that has me reflecting on our growing boys -- Stake Conference used to feel so hard! It still kind of does haha, but just the normal sit-for-two-hours hard. 

Eats English muffins top down for butter goodness.

Cutie Grant and Asher

Paddle Boarding night for Young Womens

Eating some raw corn while we harvested :)

Some boys are somewhere in there.

Filling up that trunk.

Free for neighbors! They're always kind of confused by our surplus of corn.

Cute Kitty loves to find a boy who's reading.

Library day with Asher!

Cars for days!

Slowing life down at the Buckhorn Ranger Cabin. 
The boys discovered Uno.

Carnitas nachos for dinner

Exploring the stream before bed

Found a biiiig stick fort in the woods

A little play center in the visitor center

Snoozing on the way home

School Starts!

 Saying goodbye to summer!

This week was so good. I finally got together with friends to watch the Barbie movie. That was a cozy basement night and that movie is so good. We had a great chat after and I'm just so lucky to have the friends I have.

Wednesday was our last day of summer, which meant going out for breakfast downtown before a day of paddle boarding and soaking up the last bit of summer. We brought Luna and it was hilarious. She's so wild, on and off the paddle board constantly. It was the first time she's had to full on swim distances and that was good for her.

Then we had our first day! Fifth, Third, Kindergarten, and Preschool. Feels like a milestone year.

They all loved their first days. I'm really going to treasure some alone time with Asher this year. 

Barbie movie night -- I loved this.

Our new affirmation cards came!
Kindal and I love finally seeing something exist that we've been working on!

Traditional last day of summer breakfast downtown.
We tried the Silver Grill and it was delicious.

Luna's first paddle board day!
She loved it. And she was hazardous haha.

I love how her hair crimps when it's wet.

Watching this was joyful.

Bennett is ready for THIRD GRADE!

Can't believe our little Camden is a kindergartener. 
He's so excited to go to school with his big brothers!

This cutie starts preschool twice a week in September.

Westin's running the school now!
When he first started I remember thinking those fifth graders looked huge.
It's hard to believe he's there.

First day of drop off!

He didn't mind his solo time at all :)
All the toys, all the freedom!

Cookies and milk after school.

Westin harvested a zucchini and I immediately remembered this picture from Fresno.

One of my least favorite mom jobs is keeping track of all the clothes and shoes.
Sizes and seasons make things complicated and it should be so simple in my head, but it's actually such a headache.

This is life for a little while since I sold their dresser,
but I haven't redone their walls or changed their carpet yet!