(Busy) Week in Review

I feel like we have been so busy with so many things for the last few months and I feel like I've struggled to keep my head above water. But now that this week is over, I think (hope) things will start to slow down a bit. Yay summer!

Anyway, this last week was busy, busy, busy. On Monday I went with Kiera on another field trip - this time to This is the Place. I love that place anyway, but it's pretty cool what they have for students to do on field trips. We listened to a "Mountain Man," pulled handcarts, learned the Deseret Alphabet, and rode the train around the park. Fun fun!

Then Tuesday was a bittersweet day of preschool graduation. There's so much work that goes into it! I always look forward to the break, but I sure do miss those kids! There were about 3 or 4 that came up to me afterward and cried! One boy said, "I wish we could have preschool forever!" I do too! I had such a great group of kids this year and it was especially fun having Kasidee in my class. We made lots of sweet memories. I guess it's on to bigger and better things, but I will never forget this year.

Then Wednesday night Kiera and all of the 4th grade classes put on the melodramas that they've been working so hard on. Kiera's class explained an Indian story about why the Great Salt Lake is so salty. Everyone did such a good job. (Because I couldn't use the flash during the performance my pictures are pretty blurry!)

Yesterday was the big "Fourth Grade Mountain Man Rendezvous." It's a special event held every year just for fourth graders, and Kiera has been looking forward to it for a looooong time. It was an all-day event and they were able to learn and do lots of stuff: milk goats, catch fish, eat a dutch oven lunch, run relay races, indentified animal tracks, made leather braclets, rode horses, listened to stories, and did archery. Kiera did her bow and arrow with her right hand (she's left-handed) and she hit the bullseye! In fact, the leader told her later that day that she was the only fourth grader that got it right-on! (She also was the only one in a group of boy cousins that shot a bottle cap with a BB gun a couple of years ago!)








52

My Makenna

It's been an eventful week for Makenna. Wednesday she got her cast - she was pretty excited about it. But she was a little worried that some of her classmates might think the color she chose (green) is a boy color. But then she said she didn't care. After her first day at school with her new cast I asked if anyone said anything about it being a boy color. She said, "Just one boy. But I just annoyed him." (I think she meant ignored? So cute!)

Then on Thursday Kasidee and I joined Makenna's class at the zoo for a field trip. I think Makenna's favorite was the Golden Lion Tamarin. She likes it because it's a monkey. And it's orange. As far as she's concerned, there's nothing better!

Garden: Done

Whew. We finally got our garden in. Cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberries, pumpkins, zucchini, beets, eggplant, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes. Yum - I was hungry the whole time I was planting! Oh, and we have cilantro, basil, rosemary, oregano, and 2 kinds of chives. Heaven! I've always liked the idea of gardening but frankly I was intimidated and overwhelmed by it. I thought you had to be a scientist to figure out the right soil, the right plants, how to plant them and water them and take care of them. Last year was our first "real" gardening experience and you know what? It wasn't that hard. You plant a seed, throw dirt over it, water it and wait for the magic. Pretty much. It really is a little miracle, and it's amazing to see how wise our Creator is. Our little garden isn't very big - just right for us - but it's something I look forward to. It gives us family time together, teaches us little lessons, and feeds our tummies!

Funny

Yesterday evening, we had Mom and Grandma over to watch a movie and celebrate Mother's Day. A little bit of our root beer floats spilled on our couch. I told my mom how wonderful microfiber couches are because spills just wipe right off. Makenna said, "Yeah - if you spill punch, you don't even have to tell!"

{love}

All 3 of my girls just adore my mom, affectionately called "Granny." There is a bond between my girls and Granny that is just so sweet. Kiera will call my mom and chat for a long time, sometimes a couple of times a day.

On Wednesday Kasidee spent about 7 hours at my mom's house. My mom had volunteered to watch Kasidee while I went with Kiera on her field trip. Anyway, yesterday Kasidee asked me when we would see Granny again - I told her we'd see her on Saturday and then again on Sunday. Kasidee asked me again later in the day. When she asked me a third time last night, I said, "Why do you want to know when we're going to see Granny again?" Kasidee said, "Well, I think I really miss her."

{love}

What a Day!

Yesterday was quite the day. I knew it was going to be busy - a 5-hour field trip to the Natural History Museum and Red Butte Gardens with Kiera and her class, Kiera and Makenna's cooking class, Kiera and Makenna's piano recital, and Book Club at my house at 8:00.

But then it got busier. About 1 1/2 hours before the end of the field trip, I got a call that Makenna had fallen off the monkey bars at school and her wrist was swollen and hurting. Erg. I felt so helpless and stranded, and I kept thinking in my mind, "Oh, my little Makenna. I want to be with you!" My mom was watching Kasidee and was able to get a hold of Quentin at work. He left work and got Makenna from school. He was able to get her in to the orthopedic specialist who confirmed that her right wrist is indeed broken - the same one she broke about a year and a half ago. It's still too swollen to cast, so they'll do that next week. Till then, it is braced and wrapped and in a sling. Poor thing!

She was in pretty good spirits - mostly really tired - but she was so disappointed to miss her very first piano recital. She started taking lessons in January and was looking forward to this first recital and showing off the piece she had worked so hard at perfecting. We told her it would be okay, and that we would still go to watch Kiera. Makenna said, "Well, let me try something." She sat at the piano and played her recital piece entirely with her left hand (it was a piece that she was supposed to play with her right hand, and a little of her left.) It was so cute to see her little left-handed fingers walking along the keys, but she played every note perfectly, and it sounded just right!

She was determined to still play in the recital, and she - and Kiera - both did great. I'm so proud of both of them. Kiera is loving piano lessons and is doing so well. And I'm proud of Makenna for rising above the potential embarrassment and being so brave!

Bulletin Board

Next week is teacher appreciation week, and I got a phone call from someone asking me to do a bulletin board for Makenna's teacher. Yikes - for some reason it scared me. I have never done one before, I had no clue how to go about it. So...I turned to Pinterest and got a great idea. Then I noticed someone else used that very idea. &%@! Pinterest! It was back to the drawing board, which was fine because within the week Makenna's class changed classrooms and her new room didn't have a "normal" bulletin board. It was about a foot high and like, 12 feet long. Ugh! But I found an idea that worked, and it was fun to do. Kasidee stayed and helped while Kiera and Makenna skipped out and decided to go to a friend's house to play. But at least it's done! (Click on the pic to enlarge it)

Smile!

So...I've been taking a little photography class, and last night was the last of 6 classes. Last time the instructor asked if any of the students had kids that would be willing to come into the studio to get their pictures taken - that way the students could learn about studio lighting, group photo positioning, etc. I totally was excited to have my girls come in! So last night they joined 2 other girls and the class did a little photo shoot. I didn't get very good images (I'm still learning!) and it was hard because we had to take turns being in the "shooting line," but I captured a couple of images to remember this fun experience! My girls were incredibly patient - I guess they're used to having a daddy (and now a mommy!) that takes thousands of pictures!

Waiting while the instructor talks...

Changes Are A'Comin'

My sweet little social Kasidee, who always asks to play with friends and can play with her sisters and their friends for hours, has suddenly become a little homebody. A little clingy. Yesterday morning one of her favorite friends called to invite her over to play. She was so excited and I took her over. She was happy until I was ready to leave - she gave me a hug and a kiss and then gasped in a sob. And then she couldn't stop. I held her close and told her she would be fine and that I would be back in just about over hour. Her friend's mom got her excited about something inside the house, and Kasidee followed her in. But 45 minutes later, the mom called me and said Kasidee wanted to come home. We got inside and she just wanted to sit on my lap. For a very long time. I can't say I didn't like it!

Then yesterday afternoon when we got back from a walk, a message was on the answering machine from a friend Kasidee has been wanting to play with for awhile. They usually play at least once or twice a week, and for the last 4 or 5 times it has been at our house, which is perfectly fine. Anyway, on the message this little friend said, "I just wanted to know if Kasidee could play today. At my house. Bye." I asked Kasidee if she wanted to call her back, and she said yes. I reminded Kasidee that her friend probably wants to have a turn playing at her house. Kasidee got quiet and stared at the cupcake she was eating. She said, "Well, I should probably finish my cupcake. I'll call her back another day."

My heart has broken several times today, looking at my sweet, independent little girl who is growing up way too fast. I know she is sensing big changes are coming - in preschool we are practicing for our graduation program and we talk about how exciting kindergarten will be. Kasidee often says to me, "When I go to kindergarten you will be all alone and you'll miss me so much. But it's okay, because I'll be back for lunch and then we can be together." She's amazingly perceptive and is so in-tune with others' feelings even if they (me) think they're doing a good job at pretending they aren't feeling a little melancholy. It's all good, but I thought I was the only one who was wishing this time didn't have to come so soon....

Decisions, decisions

The girls have been collecting quite a, well, collection of Lalaloopsy dolls. They have a dozen of the minis, and at least 4 of the littles. But none of them have a normal sized one. Kiera received some money for her birthday, and while she is a very, very good saver, she wants to buy one of the bigger Lalaloopsies. The only problem is she can't decide which one. She finally narrowed it down to 2 choices: Sunny Side Up or Tippy Tumbelina. A list-maker like her mom, I came across a paper she had written:
Sunny Side Up
Pros - goood farm-girl clothes
Cons - no dress
Tippy Tumbelina
Pros - pretty; 4 star freckles
Cons - dress too puffy

Oh, if only those were the big decisions I had to make....

Kiera #10!

Our sweet Kiera is a decade old. Can you believe it? I certainly can't. It's bittersweet - I am loving watching her grow and develop into her own little self, but I hate that I can't keep time from standing still. But I guess that's how every parent feels.

Anyway, Kiera wanted an all-girl Lalaloopsy birthday party. We sent out the invitations,

and the party was on Saturday. 14 girls who colored Lalaloopsy pictures, made button/ribbon bracelets, and played "Pin the Tiara on Jewel Sparkles." Jewel Sparkles is one of the Lalaloopsies. (Just so you wouldn't wonder if it was something else!) Then Kiera opened presents and we had cake and ice cream. The girls were able to watch a little of the Lalaloopsy movie before their moms came to get them.

After the party, Quentin surprised our girls by suggesting their cousin Marina sleep over! They were all thrilled, and they had fun playing outside, playing Lalaloopsies (of course) and watching a movie before they fell asleep. In the morning we had pancakes, and the girls played until it was time to get ready for church. We all walked to church and Kiera was proud to show her cousin to her friends at church!

The next day, Monday, was Kiera's real birthday. Quentin had arranged to get the day off, and we offered to take her out of school and take her to lunch. Or we gave her the option of skipping the whole day from school. She really liked that idea - on one occasion...that Makenna could stay home too. Why not?! A birthday is a special day, and since Makenna and Kasidee have summer birthdays, they'll never have to go to school on their birthdays! So we all stayed home, slept in, opened presents, and went ice skating (Kiera's choice)! Then we met Mom and Grandma for lunch at Chuck A Rama (Kiera's choice), and we met Kiera's grandmas and aunts/uncles/cousins at the park to celebrate! Can't beat a 3-day birthday celebration!

Funny

I like to make hashbrowns every once in awhile, and Kasidee would love to eat them with me. But lately when I make them, she doesn't eat them. So this morning I teased her by saying, "Kasidee, I'm craving hashbrowns and am going to make some for breakfast. Oh, but you probably don't care because you won't eat any anyway...." She thought for a moment and said, "Hmmm...that could be true. Or not."

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!