I Love to See the Temple . . .

So the other day our Home Teachers were over and were in the middle of giving a lesson about preparing to go to the temple. Our Home Teachers are so good at trying to involve the girls in the lessons and ask questions on their level. So when Brother Knutson said, "What are some things we need to do so we can go to the temple someday?" Kiera said, "Read the scriptures! Pray! Go to church!" And Makenna said, "Obey Heavenly Father and Jesus!" And Kasidee thought for a minute and said, "Drive! Or someone else could drive me because I don't know how to drive." Hmmm...I'm not sure that was the answer he was looking for, but it's true! We all got a kick out of that one!

Good Apples

When we bought our house almost 4 years ago, we "inherited" 9 apple trees. Not knowing how to care for apple trees, the task seemed overwhelming. Spraying every 10 to 14 days, pruning, removing the clumps of apples so only 3 would grow together, etc. etc. Well, after the first year of being diligent in "apple care," we got lazy. This is the third year that we have just pruned the trees once in the spring and that's it. We haven't sprayed them, we haven't done anything special to them - we've just basically watered them with our automatic sprinkling system and ignored them. And we've never had better apples! We still cut them to check for worms, but even by not spraying them, we haven't seen a worm yet! So...by us being lazy, we have organic, basically maintenance free apples! For the last month or so we have been picking a few here and there - some to eat, some to share. But today the 5 of us went out and picked all of the remaining apples. We were amazed how many were left! We filled up 3 grocery sacks full of apples for our neighbor's horses - they were apples that had a small bruise or bad spot on them. Then about 3 more grocery sacks full had to be thrown away - they were rotten or had fallen on the ground (maybe we'll invest in a compost next year!). But as for the "good" apples, we were surprised to find we gathered 25 gallons of apples! We were curious so we weighed them - 92 lbs.! Wow! The girls had fun picking and sorting the apples, and I felt exhilirated knowing that we grew these apples! We may not have had a garden this year, but we grew lots of apples! Yum!

'Tis the Season . . .

. . . for spring/summer-like rainstorms, glorious fall leaves, and wintery snow in the mountains. This was the view out my front window this morning.

Utah vs. BYU

Kiera hears a lot of talk from the boys in her class about which is better: Utah or BYU. Consequently, she asks lots of questions - which one IS better? Which one should she go to? Which one could she go to and still live at home? We keep stressing the point that the debate at school is more about football than education. We also talk about how there are lots of colleges to choose from, and that she should focus on learning and getting good grades - right now and in the future. Anyway, the other day she said, "Well, I guess they're both good schools unless they're BS-ing each other." My heart dropped. With quizzical looks, Quentin and I both said, "WHAT did you say?" And she repeated it - "I guess they're both good schools unless they're BS-ing each other. You know, if BYU is VS-ing Utah." Oh! VS, not BS, as in vs. (versus). Whew!

Murder Mystery Party

We hosted a Murder Mystery Party at our house Friday night. Quentin and I have heard about these but have never been to one, and for the last couple of years we've talked about doing one "someday." We finally decided around Halloween would be a good time to do one. And it was so fun! The one we did was set in 1940 in Paris, and it took place on a train. I love mysteries, and it was especially fun having everyone dress up and pretend to be their character! It was a fun night of mystery-solving and laughs! We can't wait to do another one!

Corbin and Nikki as Khover T. Ageante (a well-travelled businessman) and Belinda Screete (a dressmaker in a high fashion studio)


Eric and Mischelle as Malcolm R. Conntint (a gangster who makes his living on the black market) and Barbara Z. Enhussie (the daughter of a perfume king who is rich and very social)


Brian and Kathleen as Cpt. Weyland W. Awfcorce (a pilot of great renown) and Princess Idelle Chattre (the sole survivor of the noble Chattre family)


Quentin and I as Duke Schwazhe B.U. Klare (a noble duke, and one of the most elibible bachelors in Europe) and Mary K. Trairie (a journalist for a great metropolitan newspaper)

School Lunch

About a week ago, the first graders had a "Brown Bag Dad Lunch." They invite dads, grandpas, brothers, whoever, to bring a lunch and join their kid at lunchtime. Quentin wanted to get the day off to go, but he wasn't able to and Makenna didn't seem to really care. But after she saw that about half of the kids had someone there for them, she felt bad (and so did Quentin and I). Quentin was able to get last Friday off, and we surprised Kiera and Makenna by joining each of them for lunch. I love that they're still young enough to be in front of their friends but drop everything to run over and hug us. And hang out with us during recess. And actually want their friends to meet us. Love it!

Gardner Village

I was trying to think how many years Nikki and I have had the tradition of taking our kids out to Gardner Village in the Fall. It's fun for them to wear their costumes, scout out the witches all over the village, hang out with cousins, and enjoy yummy cookies from Nikki. Anyway, last Wednesday was our day to meet, and it was fun to have Mischelle and her kids join us! In fact, Mischelle was asked to be in a commercial they were shooting there! She had come in a cute witch costume, and they snagged her to be a part of a witch trio for a commercial!

Cast

We took Makenna to the sports medicene specialist this morning before school to get her "real" cast (as opposed to the splint the Instacare people put on Sunday). She chose an orange waterproof cast - orange for Halloween, and waterproof so she can still splash in the tub. I think she was feeling better about having this cast. It doesn't immobilize her elbow in a 90 degree angle like her splint did; she doesn't have to wear the sling; and she can begin to try to use her fingers in her right hand for writing and stuff. When we took her to her class about 20 minutes late, her teacher made a big deal about how cool it looks and had her show the whole class - I think Makenna liked the attention. Since this broken bone thing happened, Makenna has been quite embarrassed and insecure about what other people will think of her and her limitations. But as we dropped her off, her sweet, shy smile let me know that everything will be okay.

Broken Arm

So...our poor, sweet Makenna has a broken arm. We met the Johnson family at Island View Park this afternoon for a picnic to celebrate Mom's birthday. We were there only 5 or 10 minutes when Makenna biffed it on her rollerblades and started screaming. Makenna is the most dramatic one of our three girls, but we could tell something was wrong. We scooped her up, checked things out, then decided to take her to Instacare. After some Motrin, some x-rays, and a splint, she was feeling lots better. The doc said if she had to break her arm, this was the best kind of break she could have. It's a "buckle break" and cracked only one of the two bones in her forearm. She has a splint and a sling and will go to a sports medicene specialist this week to get it casted. Poor thing! Tonight she wanted to draw and was trying to do it with her left hand and got all frustrated that she couldn't draw. She said earlier that she won't be able to do her homework - Kiera said, "Well, you didn't break your EYES!"

I felt pretty calm throughout the whole day. But after she fell asleep in the car on the way home and I went to carry her in the house, I looked at her sweet, sleeping face and broke down. I hate it when my girls are sad or hurt! But she's feeling so much better now, and we'll get through it. I just love my Makenna so much!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to my sweet mom! I've said it before and I'll say it again.... My mom is the kindest, most self-less, most thoughtful person ever. Her "grand-girls" just adore her and light up whenever they see her. They have a bond like no one else I've ever seen. And growing up, my mom has been not only the best parent ever but also my best friend. I've always felt like I can talk to her about anything and everything, and she has always made me feel so special. I remember sitting on the couch after I got home from school, and she would just sit and listen to everything about my day. I'm sure it was so boring to listen to, but she made me feel like there was nowhere else she'd rather be. We're not only mother and daughter but best friends and confidantes as well. I can't seem to start my day until I at least "check in" with my mom, and she's the first one I turn to (Quentin too!) when I need someone to talk to.

Happy Birthday Mom - we're all so blessed to have you in our lives! We love you so much!

Pumpkin Day

The girls had Thursday and Friday off for "Fall Recess." Quentin also took Friday off, and we had a "Pumpkin Day." We went to Black Island Farms in Syracuse. We had never been there before, and it was fun to check it out. We did the free things - the pumpkin bouncy thing, hay bail slides, the big corn sandbox, and the kiddie corn maze. We were thinking of doing the "real" cornmaze that takes at least an hour to go through, but after awhile in the kiddie cornmaze, I think the girls were content with that. After Black Island Farms, we met Mom at Pack's Pumpkin Patch in Farmington for our annual tradition of picking out pumpkins. Everyone picked one - Quentin was specifically looking for a big one with lots of grooves (and lots of seeds); Kiera and Makenna each picked out a white one; Kasidee got a small square one; and I picked a small green one. It was a perfect Fall day!








PACK'S

Best Friends

Last weekend during the Priesthood Session of Conference, we met our friends at Castle Park in Fruit Heights. Kiera and Makenna's friend Chloe had requested a photo shoot including her, her sister Sophie, and my girls. Their mom, Candi, is such a good photographer, and I was thrilled to get some cute pics of all 5 of the girls together!

Quotes

I've posted before that I have made little signs of what Kiera and Makenna have said when they were around 3 or 4. They have all said so many cute things, but I have tried to capture a "quote" that they have said about the day. I've been waiting and waiting to be able to add something for Kasidee, and about a month ago she said something that worked! For some reason, Kasidee woke up and was bright-eyed and ready for the day when Quentin left for his Sunday morning meetings, around 6:30 a.m. She asked me if it was morning or night. I said, "Well, I'm not sure you've been up this early for a long time. Let's look out the window." As she looked around at the dawn-streaked sky, she said, "A little bit, it is morning." So sweet! And a quote worth adding to Kiera and Makenna's on my wall!

Tea Party

Although I miss Kiera and Makenna so much when they're at school, one benefit is that Kasidee and I get lots of alone time. As soon as we come in the door from walking them to school, Kasidee says, "Well, I guess it's just you and me!" We have a lot of fun together, and she's such a good helper. The other day, she set up a little tea party in her room and invited me and her Minnie doll. So cute! I got all teary-eyed just thinking of how sweet and precious this time is - and how it goes by so quickly!

Scary Driveway

The other night we came home when the sprinklers had just turned on and had dripped onto the driveway. Kiera exclaimed, "There's a skeleton in the driveway!" Check it out:

Erg.

Does anyone else hate school picture day? I hate it for 3 reasons:

1. Because my girls think school picture day is a day to go all-out on their clothes and hair. I think one year Makenna wanted to wear her Christmas dress. This year she wore a cute shirt and some cute capri's - I thought we were safe until she insisted on adding a polka dot scarf, which totally didn't match. Then, she wanted braids, a headband, and one of those stretchy crocheted hats. All together. I told her I wasn't sure, but there might be a rule about no hats for picture day. She told me she thought I was making that up. But I convinced her to show her pretty hair off with just braids.

2. Because once we get hair and clothes perfect and carefully walk to school (no bike riding today!), I know that somewhere in the 20 minutes between when school starts and the picture is taken, their ponytails will be lopsided, their shirts will have a stain on the front, and they'll have blue teeth from eating some weird candy that came from who knows where.

3. Because they charge a ridiculous amount for a forced-smile, dinky picture. Oh, of course I think every picture of my girls is beautiful and priceless. But I am not going to spend 12 to 20 (or more!) bucks for a dinky little picture when I could take a much better one for free.

There. I'm done venting. Erg. And who knows - I'll probably end up buying the pictures anyway!!

How Pretty Is This?!

Yes, it's a picture of our dinner. Stir-fry. But isn't it pretty? And it also could mark a turning point for me (dramatic, I know.) Here's the deal: I've never been a big fan of Chinese food. Oh sure, I'll eat it if it's for a dinner party or something, but I would never choose it over Italian or Mexican or other, much yummier food. Probably because the only vegetarian thing on a Chinese menu is a bunch of stir-fried or steamed veggies. Maybe with rice. And I always skip the sauce because you never know what could be in it - I heard once that basically all Chinese sauces are not vegetarian. So...what I usually end up with is plain veggies and plain rice. Which can be kind of tasty, but it never fails that I am starving again an hour after I finish dinner. It's just not substaintial or sustaining.

So...can you guess what is one of Quentin's all-time favorite foods? Yep - stir fry. We got a wok for our wedding and have used it maybe 3 times in 13 years. And yet I still hold onto it because I had visions that I would someday be a "good wife" and make my husband his favorite dish more than once a year. I've been known to buy the frozen stir-fry veggies, heat them up in the microwave, and add rice to it. But yuck. I can't stand frozen broccoli, and I can barely swallow the other frost-flavored veggies.

Well, I decided to conquer my dilemma - either enjoy stir-fry or toss the wok. So today I got a boat-load of FRESH veggies, chopped them up (which only took about 20 minutes), put them in the wok - and viola! Dinner is served. It's pretty, it's healthy, and...it's yummy! Better than frozen for sure!

So...there's cabbage, celery, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, green peppers, red peppers, snow peas, baby corn, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. And we'll mix in a white and brown rice blend (cooked in vegetable broth - mmmm....) and those crunchy Chow Mein noodles. Quentin likes to top his with soy sauce and/or sweet and sour sauce, but I like mine either "naked" or with Asian Toasted Sesame dressing. Maybe I'll be convinced to make this more often after all!

More Funnies

I know my kids would be horribly embarrassed if they knew I posted the cute things they say on my blog for friends and family to read.... But oh well. Their time to embarrass me will come soon enough (when they're teenagers...?)

Last Thursday, Kasidee kept asking me if I was going to go to Lego. I couldn’t figure out what she was talking about until I got my yoga clothes on and grabbed my mat to go to my new yoga class. Then she said, “Are you going to your Lego class now?” How cute!

Makenna has been sick today. She told me her tummy felt "all circley," and when she had diarrhea and got a little bit in her panties, I could tell she was embarrassed. She said, "I'm so sorry Mommy - it's just hard to keep track of it all." Poor thing!

Quentin gave Makenna a blessing this afternoon, and I overheard Kiera telling our neighbor that she and Daddy gave Makenna a blessing. I said, "You mean Daddy gave her a blessing?" And she said, "Well, yeah - Daddies can give blessings, but girls can't. Why not?" I began explaining how the priesthood is given to males to help serve others, but females are blessed with other gifts. Kiera was quiet for a minute then said, "You mean like girls can clean the house while the boys play video games? Kind of like Uncle Corbin and Daddy sometimes?" Hmmmm....

Fun Run

Kiera and Makenna went to school early this morning to join the Fun Run. We've never participated in the past, but since we offered to help our neighbor (who was the lady in charge) and had to be there anyway, the girls decided to run. It was just one loop around the outdoor track, which is 1/4 mile, and it only took a couple of minutes. But they had so much fun! Makenna got second place in the first grade girl race, and Kiera got third place (well, maybe fourth - but her ribbon said third) in the third grade girl race. They had lots of fun, and maybe it will be something we'll have to do every year!

Favorite Books - Part 1

I've always loved children's books. There's something about them - the art, the stories, the lessons - that just makes me feel good inside! (Or maybe it's because I get to cuddle with my girls on our reading bench while we read them!) I love collecting children's books and love checking out books at the library and even buying them at the library book sales. And preschool has given me a good excuse to get some more that have been on my list! But I don't like to buy books just to buy books. I'm pretty picky about the ones I want on our shelves. Anyway, this post probably isn't interesting to anyone but me, but I wanted to post some of our all-time favorite picture books for a record. We have most of these books, and I'm sure they'll be on my shelves even when I'm a grandma! (And I'm sure I'll have more to add to the list!)

ALPHABET CITY
These drawings inspired us to look around our house and yard and make a book of our own.

BEAR SNORES ON
This is probably our all-time favorite book. We love the rhythm and rhymes! We love all the "Bear" books - I think there are 4 or 5.

BECAUSE OF YOU
How sweet to know that each person is so special and essential!

THE BIGGEST BED IN THE WORLD
This one keeps us laughing and hits a little close to home!

BLUE HAT, GREEN HAT
This silly one for babies just tickled each of my girls when they were little - they cracked up at the silly turkey putting his clothes on wrong!

CDB
Just letters make out sentences. C D B means "See the bee!"

A CHILD'S CALENDAR
These poems are so descriptive they leave me breathless!

COOKIES
Learning life lessons through cookie analogies!

COUNTING KISSES
Each of my girls loved this one when they were babies.

DEAR DEER
A book of homophones - there are quite a few in the English language.

THE DISAPPEARING ALPHABET
"What if there were no letter A? Cows would eat HY instead HAY. What's HY? It's an unheard-of diet, And cows are happy not to try it."

EATING THE ALPHABET
Love the pictures from Lois Ehlert.

THE EMPTY POT
A classic, sweet story about being honest no matter what.

GOOD NIGHT, POPPY AND MAX
This is a fond one - the first book Kiera ever read!

HOME
No words, just pictures showing how the view from a room in a home changes through the years.

I LOVED YOU BEFORE YOU WERE BORN
The title alone makes me get teary-eyed!

MATHEMATICKLES
This is full of clever little puzzles: raindrops x leaves = pearls on green plates

MOUSE MESS
This one makes us laugh every time.

MY DADDY IS A PRETZEL
My girls and I both love yoga, and these have some fun poses.

MY GRANDMOTHER'S CLOCK
"I can count seconds by the beating of my heart. Have you noticed how the seconds go much quicker when life is exciting?"

OH MY BABY, LITTLE ONE
When I read this for the first time to the girls the night before school one year, I just started sobbing!

ONE LITTLE MOUSE
A little mouse goes looking for a new home but realizes what he had was right for him all along.

THE SEVEN SILLY EATERS
Sometimes I feel like this is my house!

SNOW SOUNDS
Just onomatopeic words - so fun!

SOMEDAY
Sweet story about hopes for the future.

STELLALUNA
A classic about friendship.

THANK YOU, WORLD
Shows different scenes from different cultures - how we're all different and similar.

THE TURN-AROUND, UPSIDE-DOWN ALPHABET BOOK
Turn the letter B on the side and it looks like a pair of goggles. Turn it on the other side and it looks like two windows in a castle. It also can look like one side of a butterfly.

UN-BRELLA
No words, just a magical story about changing seasons. Love, love, love the art!

WHOSE GARDEN IS IT?
Nothing in this world can be done alone. Everything in the world works together.