March Madness (more than basketball!)

HAPPY EASTER!, and quick before the month is gone, here is a taste of what's kept us going crazy this month, in order youngest to oldest:

Lucy and Anne moved into BUNKBEDS, and are now SHARING A ROOM!  (Sheer madness, getting them to go to sleep EVER!!!)

Anne was cute before Bookclub the other day; As I made spinach artichoke dip, she wanted to make a snack too, so made all these pb&j sandwiches, and even put them on a pie plate to take :)--she was a hit (almost as great as Lucy running around in her swimsuit, and 5-6 outfits every day!).  We are all thrilled with Spring, and waking up to snow one morning (after so much snow), Lucy burst into tears and cried at Breakfast, "I WANT SPIIIIIINNNNNGG!!!!"

Spencer:  Doing a school report on any animal of his choice....drumroll please.... the BULL :) (oral report and diorama w/ a lincoln logs bull and toothpick/raisin fence)

He also had fun w/ crazy hair day:

and, w/ Emily:
celebrating Dr. Seuss Day w/ these awesome makeshift "Sam I Am" costumes:

Emily's also stayed busy staying after school for play practices and Science-Math Olympiad practicing (as Krypto champ!).  She is the most victorious from the bunkbed switch and LOVES having her room to herself! (We shifted almost every bed in the house, so everyone "upgraded" a little)

Brent:

Finished up his City League team of Jr Jazz (w/ an AWESOME coach and team this year!!--all the way to playoffs), and Deacon Basketball, both of which he LOVED, and has now started Track Conditioning at the Jr High :).  He also got rave reviews from his band teacher on his clarinet solo, and got 2nd place in a County Piano Festival! He also got his Star Scout last week (I'm not sure how it's happening, but he is progressing :)

Maddie:
got me to take her to a Family History Conference down at the Salt Palace, where she was interviewed on her experience, and we got to hear Sis. Dalton and others speak about the power of youth doing Family History.  It was awesome, and we even visited our GA friends the Carlisles, on the last days of their mission there, who got us a little acquainted with the Family History Library :).

Maddie was also a mover and shaker with an incorrect Orchestra grade last term, that she (totally on her own, and unbeknownst to me!) had repeatedly emailed and talked to her teacher about, and THEN emailed the principal for backup! So impressed w/ her autonomy, I ALSO emailed the principal, and said teacher (having worked unsuccessfully w/ him before, myself) and SHE GOT RESULTS, and many grades in the class were changed because of it! Hooray Maddie!--more the miracle for someone usually so laidback and non-interfering :).

Charlotte:
Driving the kids to school one day, the van DIED!!!-RIGHT IN THE SCHOOL ENTRANCE---BLOCKING ALL TRAFFIC!! Here's hope though--I laughed! It was so funny a predicament, and Emily sat there feeling guilty, but asking, "Can I get out and leave you, and just go to school?" (I'd rather not be seen here!).  I was SO glad I wasn't still in the nightgown and bathrobe I'd been wearing moments before, and had actually gotten dressed, but I hadn't brought my phone, shoes, (just slippers!), or purse! (our school IS right in our neighborhood, mind you).  This was my first attempt:  I pulled out the car manual from the glove box to see if there was some other way to more effectively start my vehicle :).  One lady came over to offer me a phone, but I didn't know anyone's number off the top of my head, and I figured I could do just as well going into the school office.  Back to car manual :)--then a girl in my ward came over, and after sassing me for making all of the kids waiting behind me late for school, asked if I wanted a ride home.  I told her that would be great, since I was supposed to be coming to visit teach her in an hour! The principal and janitor helped shove the van back on the road, so we could get it towed AND MIRACULOUSLY fixed w/ a gourmet new fuel pump THAT NIGHT!!

I also got to host for our Ward's Progressive Dinner, and actually got some new placemats to decorate this year! (yes, Brian was very confused as to what happened to the chairs :) )

AND I finished Easter skirts in time (zippers included!), finally hemmed (IKEA iron-on) the living room curtains, washed the housefront windows, AND cleaned out my air return vents (??!!) Our weather has tasted of HEAVEN lately, and we soak up as much as we can, riding bikes, walking where we can, and just sitting out there!
Brian:  Took me out one date night, where we finally settled on getting chili dogs, and would you believe the A&W was out of hotdogs!!??!! They compensated us w/ free rootbeers, and we drove around looking for somewhere else to grab a bite, and landed at TASTE OF BRITAIN!! I always thought it was just a little shop, but they have a little fish and chips cafe, and the yellow walls were JUST the color of  the Fawlty Towers dining room:). The guy at the counter was a real Brit, and w/ decor and everything, we felt like we were transported!! :)--it was DELICIOUS and SO FUN!!! I've never been so glad our first pick didn't work out :)!

Otherwise, he does well to keep up at work--a recent client told him, after Brian said he didn't think there were many options, "Well, if you can't do any more, then no one can, because they've told me you're the best, and if anyone can do something, it's you!" He doesn't love work, but he loves that he has work, and City Council keeps things from getting too dull :).

We had a nice Easter weekend, coloring eggs, hunting at the City park, and then at home where Brian color codes all the eggs for the kids, and really enjoyed reading Family Testimonies of the Savior today before dinner :).

We Heart February

 

After my Language history classes, I crack up every time I hear "I heart anything."  At first, I thought I was just misunderstanding, or then, that other people were confused, because drawing a heart is OLD code for the word "love," and when (I'm guessing in part, due to not being able to put symbols in web addresses) people started spelling out "h-e-a-r-t" to replace the symbol--skipping the whole "love" thing altogether, and then reading it as such, there was history unfolding!!--weird history, but an observable change, nonetheless!

I should've probably said, "We are trying to heart February," --but I'm still a little funny using a symbol as a verb.  This winter has given us every reason to find things to celebrate--so we tried to deck the house out w/ happy, bright Valentine's decorations (probably fortunately, by the time I got the craft store for said intent, they were already on to Easter, so it still ended up keeping fairly simple), and going all out for Valentine's Day.

We had heart pancakes, w/ ringpops at every plate setting, hung out at school parties, then topped it of w/ Spaghetti Pie, heartshaped breadsticks, salad, and heart cake for dessert--AND by candlelight!

 We also had fun with Lucy's Birthday (see prev. post), enjoyed "Crazy Hair Day" at the school,

made a cool "Plan of Salvation" chart for FHE--never knew Kleenex could be so versatile!

 

 and honored Spencer getting his wolf @ our cool Angry Birds Blue and Gold Banquet!! (they built 4 ft tall sling shots to shoot soft balls and stuffed angry birds across the gym at stacked empty boxes--genius!)

and have made the most in EVERY DEGREE of TEMPERATURE RISING that we see!  I think our high's have been barely to 40, but when the sun is out, and our snow starts to melt a bit, we get excited about the prospects.  We had sun the day after we built our snowman, and look at how facing the sun just forced him into a melting backbend (this was just before he lost his head)!!

 One of the first days we got close to 40, the kids wanted to eat dinner outside, so they poured warm water all over a path and patch in the snow, so we could all go out in the "REALLY WARM" weather together.  Once they stopped moving, they came inside to eat :).  I even had a dream that people were taking chairs over to the church parking lot to just sit in the sunshine for a date idea. :).  It's at least "warm" enough for bow and arrow wars--in just jackets!

When it gets back to cold(er), we just snack on icicles.  They are free, plentiful, and grow back over night (read: please watch your step on our front porch!!)

I've also found some time to arrange a little Primary # for Sacrament Mtg, and (thanks to Dad's specific direction), FINALLY have some success in Family History! After re-reading the promises Elder Bednar makes for us taking family names to the temple, and hearing that 1st presidency letter, I was motivated to try again, and w/ a few trips to the FHLibraries, and amazing Ancestry.com, Brian was able to baptize Brent and Maddie this past weekend for 12 cousins.  It is awesome, and with the 2 funerals we attended in our ward this last week--one including a visit from Elder Hales, it really shrinks all of the generation gaps between us, and REALLY aids in my very nearsighted day-to-day vision of all we're doing and here for!

LUCY TURNS FRTHREEEEE!!!

 Before February 13, a certain 2-year old could be heard at least hourly, saying, either, "MY BIRTHDAY CEREAL!!! WE GOING EAT MY BIRTHDAY CEREAL:  FRUITYCOCOA--HOORAY!!!"(while guiding any audience to the pantry for proof); OR, "MY BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP BY VALENTINE'S!! I BE FREE!!"(or 5, depending on the day :) )

Thankfully, she did survive until her birthday and that morning of cold cereal and presents:  Tangled Barbie (dubbed "Ballet Doll"), a doll playpen (which she, as "Pink Baby"--her new favorite nickname--usually cuddles up in more than the dolls), a polly pocket, Dora figurine, dora socks, and 12 Dancing Princesses(Barbie movie).  Despite her outfit, she really didn't need clothes! Lucy just likes the power of being able to dress herself--a LOT!! Remember the clothes she got for her birthday last year? She was just learning then, but managed to put all of them on at once!  She regularly empties her drawers (and Anne's) finding just the right shirt or skirt or pair of pajamas for that hour, and even after we tuck her in, she still changes pajamas (or into her swimming suit) on her own.  It's just such FREEDOM, I guess!

After Breakfast and presents, I took the girls to a funeral for a dear sister in our ward, and we had hot dogs and sweet potato fries for dinner, w/ an ice cream cake for dessert--quickly since it was scouts/ YW, and Brian was stuck in Provo until late.  Lucy is quite hilarious--she is passionate about whatever she's doing, singing, dancing, or screaming refusals.  She LOVES pretending--especially that she's a baby, or a dog or cat. If we call her cute, she retorts, "NO--I RUCY!!" (unless she's "Pink Baby"). She loves her "Dee-Dee" blanket, loves her brothers and sisters, and LOVES doing things by herself--she always insists on pouring every drink, dressing, or gravy on her own, and can already make her own peanut butterjam sandwiches, scale the pantry shelves for a snack of chips or nuts, and check her "toemails" on the computer (childhood emails?).  Her little gap-toothed smile brings us all a lot of joy! It's hard to believe how she's grown!