Bike Ride

The weather is changing, and it's finally bike-riding time! It's one of the things our whole family just loves to do, and sometimes I just can't get enough of it! Last Saturday after repairing and cleaning our bikes a bit, the 5 of us rode to Dairy Queen for some ice cream. When we go on a longer bike ride like that, we usually let Kasidee ride in the bike trailer. But this time she wanted to ride her bike all the way. I was nervous that her little legs would get tired, but she was great! And she kept up with all of us! We figured it was 30 minutes there and 30 minutes back (about 3 miles total) and she did great with no complaining! What a trooper!

Grandma #90

April 15 was also my Grandma's 90th birthday! She had a party with some of her ward members, and then we had the Johnson family over to our house for Hawaiian Haystacks and to celebrate! What a special lady Grandma is to all of us - we are blessed because of her!

#15!

On April 15, Q and I celebrated our 15-year wedding anniversary (and 18 years to the day we first met!) Isn't that crazy?! Time just goes so fast - it feels like just a few years ago that we got married, but it also feels like we've known each other our whole lives!

Since our anniversary was on a Sunday this year, we decided to have a "Celebration Weekend" with our little family. We went up to Park City on Friday night and stayed overnight in a 2-bedroom suite. Sooo nice! We went out to dinner, swam in the pool and hot tub, watched HGTV, and slept in late. Saturday we had breakfast, swam some more, then shopped at the Outlet Stores and Park City's Main Street. We took our time coming home via Midway and "off-roaded" it a little in search of some cabins. (A dream of ours, someday...)

Sunday was church and then my grandma's birthday party (more on that later.) It was a busy day but we still carved out some time for us. Quentin made a slideshow of some of our old pictures - it made me cry to see how much time has gone by! But I feel so blessed to love this wonderful man I'm with, even more than when we first got married! And our girls thought the slideshow was great too! I gave Quentin a "yourmemorylane.com" picture - you can tell this company in Georgia your "love story" and they will make a handmade art print of special moments and times. I seriously have the best husband EVER! He has blessed my life more than he will ever realize!

April 15, 1997

April 15, 2012

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! I love Easter and the opportunity it provides for relection on life, the Gospel, new beginnings....

We had a nice program at church, then we went to Mom's house for strawberry shortcake (my fave!) We also did a little Easter egg activity (a tradition now!) that tells the Easter story found in the Bible.

Notes to the Easter bunny:

Spring Break Recap

We had hoped to take the week of Spring Break and go somewhere fun, but Quentin was only able to get one day off. At first I was bummed, but then I realized that it worked out for the best. We have been so busy the last few months, so it was really nice to be able to just stay at home. We planned a few fun activities for each day, so we had something to look forward to. Getting back in the routine this week has been good (I've been more productive) but I miss our time off - it sure makes me look forward to summer! So here's a quick recap of our Spring Break week in a few words and pictures:

* Checked out City Creek Center (rode Trax, went to the Salt Lake library, and ended up at Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner.)
* Met Mom and Grandma for lunch
* Kiera had 2 "late nights" with 2 different friends
* Makenna's friend had a water balloon party
* Finished Easter dress shopping for the girls (Kohl's makes it so easy! With sales, coupons, and Kohl's cash, I bought 3 girls dresses - retailing $128 - for 36 bucks. Wahoo!)
* Met our "old friends" that moved away for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. Then we ended up seeing their new house and playing at the park for awhile. Good food, good friends, good times - what could be better?
* Took the girls ice skating and then for pizza
* Played with friends, did a little yard work, watched movies. Ahhhh....

On Trax:


At the Disney Store at City Creek Center:


Sophie and Kiera


Ice skating!

LOL

The other night I quickly ran to Walmart to pick up a few things we needed. I was grateful to be shopping all alone, but when I saw something that made me burst out laughing, I wished I had someone with me so I wouldn't look so funny laughing my head off all by myself.

So...are you curious what it was? We'll, I think "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" is a pretty lame name for a product. But what I saw that made me laugh takes the cake. Check it out - and this is not an April Fool's Day joke:

Sweet Anne

Friday night, Quentin and I joined my Book Club friends and their husbands for a date! We went out to eat and then watched "Hunger Games." Hunger Games was not one of our Book Club picks, but the other 6 ladies in the Book Club and 5 of their husbands had all read it, and we thought it would be a good excuse for an outing. Neither Quentin nor I had read the book, but we were excited to be with some of our closest friends.

Um...am I the only one in America that doesn't get this obsession with Hunger Games / Twilight / Harry Potter and other incredibly dark and disturbing movies? I knew going in to Hunger Games what the plot was basically about, but I figured there would be some redeeming quality of the movie, maybe some creativity or thrilling plot twist. But it was just a dark movie. And weird. And disturbing. Now, don't get me wrong. I was very happy to go on a date and to join our friends - we had a great time with our friends. But I guess I just don't understand why so many people love this stuff!

So...to sort of counteract the "darkness" that I was still feeling the next day, I decided I needed something uplifting and light. Watching Conference certainly helped, and when Quentin went to Priesthood my girls and I sat down and watched "Anne of Green Gables." When it started, I got tears in my eyes! I remember being about Kiera's age when my mom and I would watch Anne together - and here I was, passing on the love to my own children! Anne is simple and sweet (long and uneventful as some may say) but it is just what we needed!

Photo

Maybe Quentin has rubbed off on me a little, but I have found (especially since we got our new camera a few years ago) that I really like to take pictures. I laugh at Quentin for taking 100 pictures at a time, but I'm not that far off. I think it's fun to take the camera and capture a moment, or show a different perspective. It's a reflective "art." I love taking pictures of my sweet girls, my preschool kids, and I've been asked to be the unofficial photographer for Young Women activities. I love taking pictures, but I have to admit that I have no clue what I'm doing besides pointing and shooting.

So...I'm taking a photography class. Just one of the community classes, and it's only 2 hours a week for 6 weeks. But after just 2 classes, I am finding it's a little addictive. I am remembering a few things from my high school photography class (but that was with film and 35mm cameras), yet it is pushing me to learn. And it really helps that I get to attend with my good friend - someone that I can turn to and say, "Huh? Explain that to me!"

Anyway, each week we're supposed submit 1 or 2 photos demonstrating the concept(s) we learned the week before. All last week I was stumped about what to take a picture of. Then on Thursday afternoon when one of my preschoolers walked in the door and I saw her outfit, I knew I had a great picture. So when we had our playtime outside, I asked this little girl if I could take her picture - and I love how it turned out. Not only is this picture about this particular little girl (which shows her sweet, playful personality) but it's also about all girls, and the balance between playfulness/rough-and-tumble and frilly beauty....

Funny

Today Kasidee was playing House with her little doll. I said, "What's your baby's name?" She said, "Cutie Pie - no, that's her last name. Her first name is Sunshine. No wait - I think her name is Rainbow Charlotte." (I can't wait to see what my future grandchildren's names will be!)

Kasidee loves getting dressed and ready for the day all by herself. One day as she was buttoning and zipping up her jeans, she said to me, "If I button up my own pants, then I guess you'll be out of a job."

Makenna really likes her bangs. One day she said very seriously, "Kiera used to have 'side bangs.' What kind do I have? Helmet bangs?"

Another Catch-Up

For some reason, lately I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like to. It's not that I'm any busier than usual - I guess it just hasn't been at the top of my priority list. However, I really like blogging as a way of scrapbooking/journaling, so I keep attempting to catch up. I don't know if anyone else cares (or even reads this), but at least I feel better having it caught up - for now! So here's what's been happening lately....

Spring has finally arrived, and the girls have really been enjoying playing outside. One day Makenna and her friends raided the recycling bin so they could each construct "bug houses." And Kasidee and her friend love playing in the playhouse and on the swingset - and climbing in our apple trees!





A little over a week ago, the girls' dear friends moved. Even though we've known for over 2 years that they would eventually be leaving, it seemed so sudden - and my girls have been heartbroken. They were the girls' first friends when we moved here, and Kiera has known them about half of her life! Although we are sad they left, we are excited for them in their new adventure - and we're happy that we can still see them every once in awhile. And Kiera especially loves that she has a new pen pal!




Kasidee sure entertains me when it's just the 2 of us at home. She is so creative - she loves to make things out of paper and tape, draw pictures, play "Sally and Suzy" with me, and play restaurant and store. I took these pictures about a week apart. She loves to wear her fairy wings! Here she is playing "Lemonade Store..."



And here she is, playing in a band. She was amazed she could play 3 different instruments at once!



I try not to overload the girls with too many extra-curricular activities during the school year (besides piano), but I couldn't pass up a second session of Spanish that the school is offering. Kiera and Makenna took the first session in the fall and loved it, so I was excited they offered an intermediate session. They're having fun. I also couldn't pass up a little cooking class that my neighbor is doing. It's one thing that was on my list to do with my girls someday, but having someone else do it is probably more fun for them that having their old mom try to teach them! Anyway, they look forward to going every week, and I must say I've been excited that the class has prompted them to try new foods! Yay!



Finally, last weekend we took a little trip to Lava Hot Springs with Quentin's brother's family and my cousin's family. Basically just a 24-hour trip, but it was fun and relaxing. And we drove home through Logan and hit a few favorite spots. Even though we weren't gone very long, it felt like we had vacationed for a week - very nice!

Catch Up

I think because I've been focusing on other projects, I haven't taken the time to blog as much as I would like lately. But I want to stay on top of it because it's one of my ways to journal. So...here's a quick catch-up.

A few weeks ago we celebrated our 5-year home anniversary! It's amazing to think that we moved in 5 years ago - sometimes it seems like we've always lived here, and then other times I'll walk into a room or see the view and it will take my breath away, and I feel like I did when we first moved in. We're all just so in love with our home! And we know this is where we belong, where we can put down roots and grow in such a wonderful, safe area! To celebrate our home anniversary, we bought our home a present - a new address plaque. The one we had was sort of ugly and dated and it clashed with our shutters. So...we finally got a new one! I think our house likes it!



And speaking of our home, I finally painted our bathroom. Or should I say, I GOT to paint the bathroom. Yep, the one that (over a year ago) I debated about and shared my dilemma on my blog. It was the purple one that the girls share and is the main bathroom upstairs (read: the one guests use if we're upstairs.) I had wanted to change it for a couple of years now but the girls wanted to keep the light purple "grandma" color. I was a little disappointed, but I figured it wasn't a big deal and it was 3 votes to 1. So I didn't think about it much after that. But a couple of months ago we were curious and looked in a model home in Farmington. When we walked in the laundry room, I was so inspired by the color - it was the green color I had wanted to paint the bathroom! I casually asked the girls, "Hey, what do you think of this color?" They all said how pretty and fresh it was. When I told them that was the color I had wanted to paint their bathroom, they got all excited and told me I could. And it was pretty much identical to the paint chip I had taped to the wall so long ago! So...with their "permission," I (and Kasidee) got to work. 4 hours later it was done! To be honest, for the first 2 days I was heart-sick. I thought it was "too green" and I felt like I should have left well enough alone. I hate painting anyway, and I am not really good at picking paint colors. I felt so discouraged. But you know what? After a couple of days of looking at it and getting used to it, I just love it! Green has always been one of my favorite colors - it's natural and fresh and soothing. And I like how it looks in my bathroom, especially with the white trim and crown moulding and lots of natural light! I still have to find a picture to go on the wall, and I'd eventually like to frame the mirror. But that's another project. Check out the before and after pics:
BEFORE:


AFTER:





When I was put into Young Women's over 6 months ago, I somehow became the "unoffical photographer" for the Young Women activities. I do love taking pictures and have fun with it, but I've never had any training and don't really know what I'm doing. But it's still fun, and I think the YW presidency is happy to have someone willing to take pictures because no one else really wants to do it! Anyway, on the 15th of February the YM and YW went to an "old folks' home" in Bounitful for a Valentine dance. I guess our ward has done this for 7 or 8 years. I was a little skeptical, but when I saw the YM/YW going out of their comfort zones to dance with the old people, it was heartwarming. And even though I don't really know how to take pictures, I was happy at how some of these turned out. Some of the expressions are priceless:








This weekend the girls set up a library in their reading room, and they've been "playing library" every chance they get! They've spent hours playing and it has been so fun to watch. I love their creatvitiy. And it reminds me of what I used to love playing when I was little too!

More Funnies

Maybe I'm the only one who thinks what my kids say is funny. But I think I'm trained to be on the lookout and write it down as soon as I can before I forget. Because I know I'll forget, and these funny, precious things they say are priceless to me! (I also keep track of funny things my preschoolers say, and give them a list on graduation day!)

So here's some more chuckles:

Makenna said, "I don't want to make your feelings bad..."

One day I told Kasidee that Granny was coming over. Her face brightened, and she began singing, "Oh Granny is so much nice! Granny is so much nice...." About a minute later she began singing, "And Mommy is so much nice...because she lets Granny come over!"

Since we have late church, we usually try to do something a little more special for breakfast on Sundays. A couple of weeks ago I made waffles and Kiera asked, "Mommy, can you put my waffles in syrup?"

Whenever Kasidee eats a finger food that is rather sticky, she likes me to wrap the bottom with a little piece of aluminum foil. One day she wanted a fruit strip. After taking the wrapper off and handing it to her, she said, "Can you put it in that mirror stuff?"

Funny!

Kasidee just looovvvves Minnie Mouse. The other day Kasidee was telling my mom about the phone call she got from Minnie. My mom asked her some questions about it, and then she asked, "Is Minnie married?" Kasidee replied, "Yeah, she's married because I saw her wear high heels once."

The other night when I was tucking Makenna in bed, I lifted the sheets up to straighten them. She had pulled knees up to her chest and had pulled her arms inside her nightgown. She giggled as she said, "Look! I'm in a chrysalis!"

Sleeping Beauties

Ever since Kiera was little, she can't fall asleep without her teddy bear (named "Teddy.") I have enjoyed getting pictures of Kiera and Teddy together, and this is one of my favorites:


After I was done taking a few pics of Kiera with her bear, I glanced over and noticed Makenna had fallen asleep holding her bear (named "Cocoa") too! So sweet!

Catch-Up

It's been awhile since I blogged and I have a few things I want to post about, so here goes the catch-up!

For Christmas, we gave Makenna a "Butterfly Habitat." It is a pop-up mesh cage and you can send for caterpillars and wait for them to turn into butterflies. She was so excited, and it was a long wait for the caterpillars to arrive. Once they arrived, we had to leave them in the container they came in and we watched them eat and eat and get bigger and bigger. After a few weeks, they hung themselves upside-down to the top of the lid and they turned into chrysales (that's plural for chrysalis!) It was so cool to watch! Then after a couple more weeks, they (2 out of the 3 - I think one died) emerged from the chysalis and are beautiful painted lady butterflies! Makenna loves animals and creatures of all kinds, and because of her interest and passion, our whole family has been able to have this experience. And I must admit it is pretty cool to watch the transformation - it is nothing short of miraculous! And we all feel such a responsibility to care for these creatures! It has been a fun thing, and we are looking forward (but a little sad!) to releasing them outside in a few weeks!





During the weeks that we were waiting for the caterpillars to turn into their chrysales, Makenna and her cousin Luke found a caterpillar in the gutter, buried under some snow. I figured it was dead but she insisted on putting it in a paper cup and taking it inside. Within minutes, the caterpillar was moving around - Makenna was tickled that it was alive! (I hoped that we hadn't disrupted it's hibernation!) For a few weeks, she took care of the caterpillar and gave it lettuce to eat and water on a paper towel to drink. After a few weeks, imagine our surprise when we found it one day in a chrysalis! So now we're waiting for that one to "hatch" too! It has been fun!




Kasidee celebrated her 4 and 1/2 birthday! In preschool, we celebrate the summer birthdays on their half-year mark, and since Kasidee's birthday is in August we got to celebrate it in February! She was so excited, and she was especially surprised that Minnie Mouse (her favorite!) called our house to wish her a happy birthday! Pretty cool!




Quentin's grandma celebrated her 97th birthday! "Butterfly Grandma" (as my kids call her) is an inspiration. She is amazingly upbeat and just loves life. She got up in front of everyone in her high heels and told stories. She's just so darn cute.


(I thought this pic was cute - this is Grandma with her grandson Adam, who got married just before Grandma's birthday party!)


The weather lately has been so nice, and the girls have enjoyed playing outside. Kiera got rollerblades for Christmas, but she still prefers wearing my old ones - so Makenna gets to wear Kiera's new ones...And Kasidee recently learned how to rollerblade too!



Quentin surprised the girls and me on Valentine's Day morning with some treats and cute balloons! That night, Quentin and I had a date - we saw "Grease" at Woods Cross High.



In other news, Makenna began piano lessons in January and is surprising us by how much she is enjoying it. She is doing really well, and it's fun to see how quickly she is picking up on it!