Tuesday we celebrated our main man! Happy Birthday Marc!! 29 looks good on you handsome! We had to get a little creative with festivities with the current state of affairs of the world. But we started the day with sprinkle birthday waffles! (We had them on Ruby’s birthday so she assumed Marc was also having them. So apparently birthday sprinkle waffles are now a thing. #familytradition).

We went on a hike to Lost Dutchman State Park. I use the term “we” and “hike” loosely because the “we” was mainly Marc and I. Marc had Levi in a baby hike backpack and I took turns between holding Ruby and Hazel for short stretches. Hiking is so much further for little legs. But the desert was beautiful and Flat Iron is breathtaking and looks like a fake backdrop. But the girls favorite part was making rock stacks on the path when we took short breaks.

Hazel running down the trail with in adorable defiance with her hands behind her back

We learned that the elementary school down the road gives out free lunches every weekday to kids under 18. Free lunch and an excuse to get out fo the house! So we have been hitting that up everyday. I just load the 3 kids in our little red wagon and walk across the street to the school and they hand us the sack lunches out in the parking lot (the lunch ladies all have masks and gloves on and are always happy to see us)

Hyrum is a real cutie and made Marc a lemon birthday cake! Hyrum’s semester of home ec. has really paid off. Impressive lemon zesting skills.

After dinner we went to Jo and Ty’s where we ran the kids, bathed them, and put them to all to bed so the adults could play some card games. We played more Cover Your Assets. The best part of the evening was when Tyler’s Alexa got all ornery. Tyler asked her to play, “Songs by Enya” and she replied with, “You want me to play the garbage disposal?”. Later he asked, “Alexa play hip, cool electronic music.” Alexa responded with, “I can not find any cool and hip electronic music.” So Tyler tried again, “Alexa play electronic music.” Alex came back with, “Playing electronic music…” and she started playing Let It Go from Frozen. We all laughed till we cried. And that was the best birthday present- a really good laugh, especially when all the News has to say is the world is shutting down.

Thursday we decided we would walk to Jo’s house to return Jone’s jacket he left. It was actually really brisk outside and we bundled up our kids between our two strollers we take on our walks (three kids equals two strollers). Jo wanted to join us when we got to her house, and Jones was happy to have a coat to wear. So we were officially a stroller gang out in the neighborhood. And the only thing to do next was to walk over to Mom’s house and jump on Abby in her bed, because Abby is a sleep in till the crack of noon kind of lady. Unfortunately, Abby was already awake cuddling with Jake on the couch, so we settled for a snack break and some toddler rounds of ping pong.

Thursday afternoon Marc got the brilliant idea that we should go camping in the backyard! So one four-man tent and a camp fire later we were ready for a good time.

Umm cutest camping boy ever!

We have never taken the girls camping before and they thought the whole things was magical.

Hazel took this photo (with a little help from me. the first three were of my feet and the grass)

my two favorite boys

Please note all the “camping dirt” other face for being outside for 5 minutes. Impressive Hazel. Ruby was very proud to take this photo. 

Eventually we got all cozy in in the tent, read stories,

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the girls figured out real quick if they put their popcorn on their heads Levi cant reach itthen Marc would re-read the stories in Spanish (the girls thought this was so hilarious they were rolling in stitches while he finished), we sang some primary songs, and snuggled. Levi was the only one who fell asleep right away but it was just fun all being together. And we could watch the stars come out and the occasional air plane.

Friday morning was fun to wake up cozy in our tent and it chilly outside. (Fifty degrees is practically winter for Mesa). Then Marc took the girls over to the school parking lot to ride scooters and cars while I napped the boy, started the mountain of camp fire smelling laundry, and squeezed in an online cardio workout. I am so determined not to put on the quarantined-fifteen. (You know, like the college freshman-fifteen). So we have been moving our bodies and Marc and I are constantly in competition to see who is getting the most steps in on the daily.

Saturday, we postponed our pizza night to have dinner at my moms. Jake, Dad, Chelsea, McKay and Marc finishes a 1,000 piece puzzle (impressive). We had a tasty hot dinner and watched The Fantastic Mr. Fox. We only have a shower at home, so the girls always beg to take a bath at my moms. So we washed a happy tub full of babies.

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