Holladay Happenin's: Week ending 9-2-18

Sunday: Kaitlyn (as she almost always is) was in a picture-taking mood. :)

Our homeschool room this year. Alexis and Madalyn have the desks by the maps. Spencer sits on the red flattened bean-bag. Along the window wall sits Kaitlyn (who took over Kylie's desk), Makenna and Thomas.

Goofing off Sunday afternoon.

Kylie's last Sunday here.

Monday: Thomas practicing his new cello he got from school.

Last FHE with Kylie.

Kaitlyn made a family favorite--peanut butter cups-- in Kylie's honor.

I'm so going to miss seeing Kylie do her journal and scripture reading every night in the living room.

Playing outside after FHE. The weather was in the 70's for 2 days which was really nice.

Tuesday: The 5 little kids and I walked Thomas to the middle school for his orchestra class and played on the playground for an hour, then walked him home.

Tuesday night: Kylie's last dinner with us. I love having 9 kids crowded around the table (plus one in a highchair) happily eating the nutritious foods I make. It's one of my happiest moments of the day.

Wednesday: The 3 girls playing ballet. Except Talea really wasn't interested. She especially wasn't interested in being grabbed as she walked by to pose for a picture.

She would pose as long as they were looking at her book with her.

Packing for college. Almost ready to go!

We finally got everything packed up and left the house at 1:40. I took all the kids down except Spencer who had ASL at the same time. We got her as moved in as much as we could with little ones helping and then asked if they could play at a cousins's house while Kylie and I tried to get a few things done around campus. We had bad luck as the bookstore closed (couldn't buy books) and we got locked out of her room and had to wait awhile, but we did get her ID card and money loaded onto it.

Carrying Kylie's stuff down the hall to her first dorm. It was a mad-house move-in day.

Unlocking her dorm for the first time!

Thomas was so good to sit outside with the 3 youngest (and sometimes the 5 youngest) so that we could unpack more efficiently.

All set up!

It was a lot of fun helping her unpack.

I love this view from her window.

Getting her ID card.

The little kids when they came back after playing with a cousin.

Leaving the dorms.

They were really good the whole time and cute too as they "drove" around the halls.

Alexis and Kaitlyn had decorated the van before leaving our house.

We picked up Kylie's packages from the mail center, swiped some hot dogs and watermelon, and then it was time to say good bye as it was past 8 and the kids were getting tired.

Buddies!

Kylie's been a fantastic oldest sister. Everyone adores her and will miss her so much.

It was so hard watching her walk away and I cried all the way home knowing I left her knowing nobody and so much left to do to settle in like getting internet in her room, buying books, etc. I wish I could have had the whole day with her helping her get things done.

Getting home at 9pm and seeing Kylie's room so clean and empty when it's been collecting things all summer, made it real that Kylie is actually gone. I'm glad we live in state and will be able to see her pretty frequently but we still miss her terribly. Our home isn't the same without her in it.

Talea getting into my spelt flour.

Thursday: Thomas was watching Talea play outside while studying his architecture book but then Talea wanted to get in the van so Thomas sat with her in there. In the picture Talea is pointing to the "dog" but it was really a gargoyle or something.

A beautiful flag I saw at the grocery store Thursday night.

Friday: We went to the duck pond for Andy's 3rd birthday. (It was really Saturday but we celebrated the first half of Friday and the second half of Saturday.)