5 May 2024
VOLUME 12 – NUMBER 554
Ellie and Charlie in their big sister shirts
This week we found out the gender of Baby #3! We got an at-home blood test, and Braden and I were so excited. We got our results the next day and Baby #3 is a girl!
Honestly, I just expect it to always be a girl cause that’s what we know and do best—ha ha. Not really surprised but so excited! It’s so funny because my parents have five daughters and will have six granddaughters by December, with no sons and no grandsons yet!
After we got the gender result, Braden was so excited to tell our families that he woke up our girls so we could take pictures of them in their “Big Sister” shirts and send it out to the fam.
Ellie was very excited with the news of a new baby sister coming and Charlie was just happy to be out of bed!
Caleb and Joanna on a date
This week I finished school. And I am done with high school! Well, not quite. Technically I am finished with all of my high school classes, and I have all the credits necessary to graduate, but I am choosing to take some college classes in high school to make college a little bit cheaper. But for now I am done with school for the summer, and I can finally enjoy.
I have to do a couple other things before summer, like sign up for the ACT, and hopefully get a good enough score to pass prerequisites for some of the college classes I am wanting to take. Other than that, I'll hopefully have a really fun summer!
Smith family
Here’s a picture of Emma in her soccer uniform. This year, she and her team had an undefeated season! We’re so proud of you Emma!
Natalie in her soccer uniform
I went and saw Spider-Man 3 in theaters. I’m having a blast going to see these with Aiden, and occasionally Hazel. It’s just something else to see them on the big screen. We made sure that we got the posters this week, and boy, was it worth it.
After sitting through the movie, Aiden and I went to Walmart, and bought frames for our posters. I am going to try my absolute hardest to get all the posters for the upcoming movies, especially the next one, The Amazing Spider-Man.
We also may be taking Kade Rosenlof along with us, because those movies were special to him as well. Can’t wait till then!
Monte and Aiden with Spider-Man posters
I’ve also been super sleep deprived all week. I’m getting a max of two hours of sleep, and when I say max, I mean on a good night. Usually it’s just one hour, and that’s from 6:00–7:00am.
Work has made that a little easier, because I always feel more awake when I’m working. But on Saturday night, I took some sleep medication, and did some meditation, and I got a full night sleep, just in time for the Sabbath.
Charlie hiding in a cupboard
Wow! What an adorable cute sweet little baby Mattias is! I am shocked at how tiny he is. Seeing him in photos doesn’t truly capture his size.
Visiting him in the NICU was so special. If Owen could have seen Mattias’ accommodations I think he may have been a bit jealous. It was a very nice setup for Mattias, and for Yarima and Selvin to have him right in their own room.
Seeing Caleb and Arkin hold this precious child so newly arrived from our Heavenly Father’s presence was truly a privilege.
Mom meeting Baby Mattias for the first time
This week Me, Mom, Gloria, and Troy went to go see a play at Hale Centre Theatre called May We All. It was a country musical, and I liked it! It was super cool how the people played the instruments the whole time.
I also went to Mom's work with her and Mable. We were at an event where people could come and look at fancy cars. We got to see so many cool cars, and they were super nice. I helped carry down gift bags for people to take.
When we were going up and down in the elevator it was scary, because Mom said the elevator sometimes breaks down. I was pretty worried, but it was fun.
Owen
This week I got sick, so I had to stay in bed. I did school because the deadline was coming up soon. I only had one class left, and it was math. I did what I could before the computer died and then I just watched movies. The next day I started to feel better and so I finished school.
On Saturday I went to the park. We took the Littles to run around and play for a little bit, and then we went home.
Then Me, Isaac, and Kai went to Austin Duncan’s birthday party. We did nine square, and I kept getting out because I was getting spiked on. Then we went to play a game with Sophie and Bridger. I had a very fun and busy week.
Caleb with Kida
I finally finished school this week! It took some work to bring my grades up to get them to A's and B's. I finished a two weeks early and made sure that the classes I picked for next year are good.
On Tuesday Mom, Veidi, Troy, and I all went to a play at Hale Centre Theatre called May We All. I really enjoyed it a lot.
Thursday we had a family temple trip there were only five of us including Dad. Kai and Troy were at Endia and Cougar's house, and Veidi was sick. I'm very grateful that Dad spends his time setting those up.
Later that night Riley and I went to get Ice cream and after we went back to the house and played a game and watched Jack Ryan (edited) with the family. Friday night we played Fugitive, and we had Riley come play with us. After playing awhile we started to get cold and decided to get caught.
Gloria doing school with Max
On Saturday it was a fun day because Riley and I are celebrating our one year anniversary together. His family came and picked us up to head over to their great-grandpa's house, because they are having an estate/garage sale.
When we got there it was super packed. There were things there that were so old, like from the 1950s! After five hours of of being there, we left and went back to his house.
Riley and I rearranged his bedroom because he got a new bed and a couch. It took some work but by the end it turned out really nice and clean. For dinner we got Cafe Rio and took it back to the house and watched Cars and finished Ratatouille.
Baby Mattias
I woke up on Tuesday to Mom asking me if I wanted to go to Endia and Cougar's with Troy, because Endia was sick. Of course I couldn't deny such an amazing opportunity, so I gladly said yes!
She said I had to hurry, because we had to leave when Dad left for work, which was in about 20 minutes. I didn't have any time to get ready for the day, but I packed my clothes, and tried to think of everything I needed for the next few days.
While I was packing I kept thinking I was missing something, but I quickly brushed aside that thought, because I was running out of time! I grabbed my backpack, took a Chromebook, and headed upstairs. Mom gave us some food, and we hopped in the car and waited for Dad.
Kai on the computer
When we got to Endia and Cougar's house, Cougar had to leave for school, and I started getting ready, taking a shower, taking care of my face with acne cleanser, brushing my teeth, etc. When I got out of the shower, I realized that I had forgotten my belt!
For breakfast, Troy and I ate some Reeses Puffs. We took care of Owen who was really chill—he only cried when he was hungry. Overall, babysitting Owen was really easy. He was so happy the whole time!
Cougar got back from school at noon, and he took us to McDonalds. I had a cheeseburger, a Hot n' Spicy McChicken, and an Oreo McFlurry! Lunch was really tasty, I loved it!
Caleb holding Baby Mattias
A little into the afternoon, Troy and I turned on the Switch and played a little bit of Shovel Knight. We weren't too bad at it! Once it was getting late, I put Owen to bed. I watched a little Youtube before I went to bed, but then I got a good nights sleep.
The next morning Cougar showed Troy a new video game on his computer, it's called Enter the Gungeon. While they were playing it, I started getting ready, and Cougar left for school.
When I got out of the shower, I wanted to play the game Troy and Cougar were playing, so we played together. It's a really fun game! Extremely hard, but really fun! I had a great time at Endia and Cougar's, I also loved babysitting Owen!
Jenny and children walking dogs
Mom woke me up and told me that I had to go to Endia and Cougar’s place to watch Owen because Endia was sick and Cougar had work and school. Dad took us to Endia and Cougar’s because he was going down to Provo to work at BYU.
We brought with us peanut butter cups, potato flakes, and enchiladas—food Mom had quickly grabbed for us before we left home. For lunch that day, Cougar bought us lunch at McDonalds, and it was delicious. When we got there, we took care of Owen and played Shovel Knight on the Switch.
The next day, Cougar showed us a cool game on his computer. It was called Enter the Gungeon. and it was two players. We had pancakes for breakfast, and lunch at McDonalds again.
After we played one final round of Enter the Gungeon. Kai, and Cougar went pretty far. We then went home.
Kai, James, and Quinn playing
When James and Israel came to stay with us for a couple days, me and Joanna started playing with them. I was the dragon and they had to defeat me, and they did, But little did they know, I stole their food! Then we had lunch and took a nap.
The next day we got to go to the Falcon Ridge school playground to play. I started to climb every slide. Then I got stuck on a spinning platform hanging with my arms. When we went home, it was a long walk.
The next day James and Israel left. It was also fast Sunday, which meant that I was hungry for 16 hours!
Dad meeting Baby Mattias for first time
It was so exciting to meet Baby Mattias, and we are so happy that everything has ended up well after all the work Yarima and Selvin put in to get him here! We’re glad Mattias is okay, and improving fast. We hope Yarima and Selvin will be able to take him home soon!
Mattias was so little, but at 4 pounds, 13 ounces, he was almost exactly the same size I was when I was born seven weeks early. Like Owen and Mattias, I also spent time in the NICU—for me it was three whole weeks!
This week I started my third semester teaching at BYU. This is Spring semester, so instead of a 75-minute class, I teach for three hours, or two classes combined into one.
This is getting easier every semester, since most of my lessons are all worked out. I’m really starting to feel good about the course, and my student evaluations are improving each time.
Ashton and MTC friends at Holy Taco
I got to meet baby Mattias this week! Yarima and Selvin let me come and hold him on Thursday, and he is so adorable. Every time I see a new baby, it makes me wonder how birth is even possible, and how it really is a miracle all that goes on in that process.
Friday I got together with some old friends from the MTC and we went to a place where we used to get together called Holy Taco.
After that I had a ward pool party to go to. Turns out BOTH swimsuits I have were missing—I I probably left them at Mom and Dad’s. So I did not do any swimming, but the food was great!
On Saturday I enrolled in a couple classes for this semester to try and speed up my graduation a little bit.
Snow in May