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Saturday, November 30, 2019

sept 2k18 : allllll the other things


Carma would like to welcome everyone to this final wrap up of last September. Also, is this just me making assumptions based on television stereotypes or does Carma look like a wealthy woman showing up for brunch sliiiightly hungover?

We'll just stick with Carma pictures for a bit... since as always, there's a plethora. We found this cute Mickey Mouse/R2-D2 hat at Savers and obviously had to show it to Janell at the next Cookie Wednesday.

Fierce? That's one word for it haha.

Carma transitioned fantastically well to me working a couple days at week, pretty much because that meant she got Chuck to herself or Grandma Pam. On days with Daddy, trips to Costco were tradition.

And on days with Grandma, there was usually adventures and dressing up!

Ahhh, another Costco run with Daddy. Also Chuck apparently drew very few lines re: makeup in my absence haha.

Girls' Night... apparently we attempted a more serious picture? Oh man I love us.

Also - this. Yep!!

All smiles... minus Kaitlyn. Understandable, we're a little much ;).

 Ummm this facebook memory made me laugh.

'The Mother Octopus' is one of my favorite instagram accounts:

 'Also me:' hahahaha.

David and Sage came to town! We spent a fun evening with them at Larry and Iris' house playing games. And Uncle David indulged me and my need for a selfie with him to properly document the visit. I love my aunts and uncles!

 Will has an up and down history with praying mantis haha. 


 Chuck and I went on a date to hear Richard Ostler speak at BSU, and this was my instagram caption for the evening: Left my house tonight in actual clothes (ie jeans and a shirt with no letters/words on it) and this blurry parking lot selfie is the only photographic evidence I have, whoops! I did get to spend 90 minutes being uplifted and encouraged to reach out and listen to those around me with love and kindness and offer a place to belong. I’m glad it’s not my job to judge everyone (jury duty that one time was stressful enough 😅). My job as a woman/American/Democrat/Latter-daySaint/Costco shopper (I was trying to thing of other groups I passionately belong to and it seemed to fit...) is offer love and kindness- freely, without conditions or pre-qualifications or asterisks. If I disagree with you politically, I can still be loving and kind (I might have to take a few deep breaths 🙃). If I worry about your life choices, I can still be loving and kind (and bite my tongue when unsolicited advice attempts to roll off of it 🤐). If you’re one of my children and you fail to BRUSH YOUR TEETH FOR TWO COMPLETE MINUTES or PUT AWAY YOUR LAUNDRY after the tenth reminder, I can still be loving and kind (.... I think... hasn’t actually been verified 🤔). If you have the misfortune of crossing my path when I’m sleep-deprived or hormonal, I can still be loving and kind (provided copious amounts of chocolate is consumed during the process 🍪). Today of all days was a good time to hear this. We’re all in this together. Love and kindness, yo. #endofrant ✌🏼


 Ohhh we got to have Kaitlyn K for a bit one day, and ohhh it brought me joy. Kaitlyn possibly had mixed feelings about the whole experience.

Some friend pics from the month - we sure love having those Curtis boys over, Carma was pretty thrilled when a long-awaited playdate with Macy rolled around, and we loved making it to one of Alayna's soccer games.

Feel free to skip this screenshot and scroll down to where the funny ones start... because yeah, this one isn't funny. (Deep breaths, Jana!)


You made it to the funny ones! 'The Dad' instagram isn't one I follow but I like to pull it up and read a bunch at once when I need to laugh.







 Wellllll this one is awkwardly familiar. Mostly with whatever pop Chuck orders. I like to lecture him on how unhealthy it is and then drink 3/4 of it haha.

 Jack is loving piano lessons! Cutest little musician:

 Will's creativity will never cease to amaze me. 

Few more pictures from home. It was a crazy, stressful, happy, busy September - we'll take it though ;).

sept 2k18: Dan the Man comes to visit!


In its maiden voyage back to the Nampa area - its first since Chuck drove away in it circa July 2017 - the little red Geo showed up at our house mid-September and we all rejoiced! Also, Dan came along with it ;).

The trip was a surprise for Chuck, to even things up after Chuck's trip last September to El Paso to visit Dan. We got together with a bunch of families that evening at the Palmers' and had an awesome time hanging out. Carma had an awesome time 'under arresting' people.

Dan crashed at our house so Sunday morning we put him to work: first he was in charge of breakfast...

and then he was in charge of getting all four Izatt children ready for church, including hair. Please enjoy this selfie of Clyde's.

Pretty sure Dan thought we were kidding when we said he'd have to bike with us to church. We weren't kidding. We let him have first pick and he opted for the road bike... and no helmet, grrrr. And now that I see the pictures I realize Clyde was helmet-free as well. Boys!

 Love these two best friends.

Church was so, so good. I had to blink back tears a couple times as I watched ward members greet Dan with so much love, confirming what I had hoped and prayed would happen. After church we got the thumbs-up picture...

after which the kids decided they needed pictures with Dan too haha. Carma very proudly told everyone she encountered that Dan did her hair for church... 


 Matching ties. Cuuuuuute.

And then it was time to leave Chuck there for meetings and tithing, while the rest of us headed home and then sent Dan on his way back to Utah - bonus for Clyde, Dan offered to pull Carma Junie in the bike trailer home. THANKS for coming to see us Dan! WE looooove you!!

sept 2k18: an Izatt outing


Grandma and Grandpa Izatt were in town over Labor Day weekend for Clyde's birthday, so we had a fun adventure to the Discovery Center with them and Lee and Aleesha's family:

C-A-R-M-A J-U-N-E loved typing her name in and having the machine spell it out in blocks.

Bri and Clyde attempted the perfect arch... I'm pretty sure Bri did it again later and succeeded!

Jack and Carma both practiced their upside down/backwards writing.

Cute Will. And koala'd Jana.

Ahhhh this was so cool - a topographical map thing with the different elevations different colors shining down. It was basically my favorite.

Oooh the smooth river rock pebbles were also my favorite, hence my stack and my initials and my little funny face I made.

We make it to the Discovery Center a lot with my dad, but my kids really never get tired of the exhibits - even the established ones.

And of course having new people to look at them with helps!

Okay, my real favorite is obviously pretending to be a weatherperson. I think I missed my real calling in life, some kind of broadcast journalism.

Towards the end of our visit, Pops and some of the boys found a cool challenge - to use these specific wood pieces to build as tall a tower as possible:

Chuck was recruited to help with some of the top pieces.


And they made it literally as high as possible! 

The nice Discovery Center employees made a new sign just for the Izatts haha; Lee and Bri and Eli took their turn next, using even fewer pieces to climb up to the ceiling. Somewhere I have the slo-mo videos of them knocking down the towers; they're pretty epic!
And we'll end with Carma and her chocolate milk at lunch afterwards. Cutest girlie!