Easter

Before Easter came around this year, I was looking at the $5 movie bin at Wal-mart.  I came across a few movies that I thought our family might enjoy.  First, Anastasia – the one that came out in the movie theatres about 1997. Second, The Land Before Time – the original one.  I usually come across The Land Before Time 45, one of the many sequels they have out on the market.  Third, Horton Hears a Who – again the one that came out a few years back. Last but not least – Robin Hood, Prince of Theives, you know the one, the Kevin Costner/Christian Slater one. Yeah, that one.  When I saw that and Land Before Time, I knew I had to act fast.  I wasn’t looking to buy any movies, but once I saw these, there was no turning back.  There I was with four movies that would be perfect for the kids (and the hubby) for Easter.  The kids have not seen Anastasia or The Land Before Time, and it was about time they be exposed to some other great movies. 

Before I go on about our Easter, I have to put in this funny little story about watching Robin Hood.  So, the hubby and I had the kids down in bed and decided to watch the movie.  I put it in the blu-ray player (mind you, it is a regular dvd).  We begin watching it, but about half way through the movie, it jumps back to the main menu.  We were both baffled, thinking something was wrong with the dvd.  Then I remembered that the dvd looked two sided, thought it was one of those widescreen/full screen, but didn’t pay much attention. We flipped the dvd over and poof * we were back were the movie left off.  I guess this dvd was either one they found sitting in a warehouse since 1992 or what we get for paying only $5.  Either way, it was a great find!

For Easter this year, we didn’t go on the Easter camp, we stayed close to home.  To start the kids week off from school, I had an ultrasound scheduled for baby number 4.  F, K, L came along, while B stayed with Grandma and Grandpa.  Baby looks very healthy and kept it’s left hand up by it’s face the entire time, moving around plenty.  We were excited (especially L) to find out that we are having a baby boy!  Feels like a perfect way to end our family. 2 girls, 2 boys. 

Friday, F took off work and we spent it as a family.  We drove up to the Kimball Arts Center and enjoyed the Lego exhibit they had. It was amazing to see all the works of art made entirely of Legos.  After that we went to the Tanger Outlets and did a little shopping, well I did and the kids played on the playground with F. 

Saturday, we went up to the zoo.  We love the zoo – so much we have an annual pass and have done so since K was little.  We never get bored of the animals and the zoo has made some amazing transformations since we first bought a pass and even more since I was little.  That night, we dyed Easter eggs.  K and L were pretty creative with theirs.  L made a dragon, K made a frog and a chick hatching.  B was able to get into it a bit more than previous years. 

Sunday, New Easter clothes.  I bought sweaters for the girls and a new shirt for L, and I made matching skirts for the girls. I love being able to get them to match for one day each year.  It will be ending before I know it though!  We went to church and later we visited F’s parents. We ate dinner at my parent’s house and had our annual Easter egg hunt. My mom hides the eggs all over the backyard.  The kids hunt for the eggs.  When they are all found, we divide them among the kids (each egg has a name on it).  The kids always have a blast. 

Among all the eggs and treats, we do teach our children about the importance of Easter which is not only the atonement by our Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane, but the Resurrection of Him.  I am grateful for Jesus Christ and his willingness to do all the Father asked of Him.  He leads the way back to our Father in Heaven, made it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins, and live together for eternity.  I am thankful for my membership in this Church and the covenants I have entered into and for F being a worthy priesthood holder and blessing our family because of it.

Christmas Break

Well, it is now 2013, and we have had a lot of fun.  F was able to take all of last week off and we have had about a week and a half with our family together.  The Sunday before Christmas, we went downtown to Temple Square, walked around to see the windows at Macy's and went through the Visitor Centers on Temple Square.  We met up with all of my family and walked around the grounds to see the lights, and another look at the candy window displays.  Followed up with a delicious dinner at my parents house.  I love going to Temple Square and usually we are there late and miss going into the visitor centers. It was nice to see the displays, talk to the children, and to show them the Christus statue. 

Christmas Eve: My parents good friends had rented out a movie theater and invited their family and friends to join them. We were lucky enough to be invited and had a great time seeing Rise of the Guardians, and catch up with friends we hadn't seen for a long time.  Just as we walked into the theater, K was up talking to my mom and another girl I didn't know.  It ends up this girl is in K's school class.  Her grandma is sister's with Jill, who invited us.  Small world and great to meet her and her family (it is their first year at our school).  After the movie, we went over to F's parents house and played games, ate dinner, watched Scrooge, and had a great night. It had snowed most of the day, so driving was a little nervewracking, but we were save and sound. When we got home, the children were able to open new pajamas.

Christmas: The kids were instructed not to get up before seven.  F was in the shower at seven and I heard K and B playing in their room, followed by L coming to their door and saying, "It's not morning yet," and going back to his room.  Once F and I were ready, we let B come down first, followed by L, and lastly K.  When B saw her easel, she said, "School." The kids had a great time opening presents, and giving presents. I always love seeing the excitement on the kids faces when they see their presents for the first time.  L had asked for a bed side table (at one point in time), so we bought a small side table and glued on some lego baseplates. The table doubles as a place to display and play with his legos, and also a bed side table.
 When asked about Christmas, L said, "I didn't get anything on my list."  Which was partly true.  His list had changed daily for the whole month. He had asked for most of them over the several list changes. It also didn't help that K replied, "Well, I got everything on my list."  Overall they were both happy with what they got.  K has been taking endless pictures and videos with her camera.  After breakfast, we got dressed and made our first stop - my parents.  We opened gifts and ate some pancakes.  My parents got all the grandkids cowboy boots.  B and K have been wearing theirs any chance they can. We went over to F's parents afterwards and again more presents.  F's  parents gave us some food storage and emergency preparedness items, which are very helpful.  After playing a game and eating more food, we went to our last stop, my grandpa's house.  We again had food (I was actually to full to eat anything, but enjoyed the tradition slush). It was great to see some cousins and family we haven't seen in a few months, and some even a few years! What a day!!

Since Christmas, we have gone sledding twice, visited the zoo, slept in, stayed up, played hours of video games, ate too much, put two puzzles together (well, I did), read new books, drank hot chocolate, watched new movies, relaxed and had lots of fun.  For New Year's, it was a little more low key.  B went to bed at her normal hour, K and L stayed up until ten watching Goonies on tv.  F wasn't feeling well, so he was in bed before 11, and I stayed up rang in the New Year watching fireworks out in the neighborhood from our front window.  I can't believe how fast it has gone by and that today is the last day before we get back into reality.  But for now, I am going to go have some fun!

School Days, School Days!

Here are the kiddos on the first day of Kindergarten for L.  K started 3rd grade last week.  And Baby B will miss her sister and brother, but more time with Mama. I can't believe how time flies.  We had a great summer and looking forward to a wonderful school year.  Both of the kids are excited about their classes.  L thinks he can do things by himself (namely going to and from the bus stop without me - it's not too far away, but I like knowing they are safe). 

The Great North West

Monday, October 3rd

Packed up – again, headed to the ferry – again.  We sailed from Victoria to Port Angeles, WA.  We drove on the 101, the Pacific Coast Highway through Olympia National Park.  We stopped to eat lunch at the Storm King Ranger Station next to beautiful Crescent Lake that was a gorgeous turquoise color.  We saw a family of deer just enjoying their lunch by the lake as well. 

Some of the things that amazed us on this drive were: how tall the trees are, how green and mossy everything is, and how sparse it was to find civilization.  We drove down into the rainforest and as we drove further along the road, the darker it got, and the more the rain fell. Our destination was to see Big Sitka Spruce in Hoh Rainforest.  Even with the pelting rain and the panic to get in a few pictures, it was worth it. 

We did (for my sake) stopped at the sign for Forks, WA, only long enough to get a few pictures by the city’s welcome sign. In this one day, we made it all the way through Washington state – barely.  As the day got later, the more worried we became about find a hotel, being again the lack of civilization.  Our last adventure before finding a hotel in Astoria, OR was crossing the Columbia River, spanning 14 miles. 

Tuesday, October 4th

We started off by heading back into Washington to go see a lighthouse, but the road was closed and we were – disappointed, which was likely to happen, since the lighthouse is at Cape Disappointment.  Oh, the irony, especially since the night before we had passed by the Cape of Foul Weather in a rainstorm.  We went into Lewis and Clark National Park and learned about the explorers and saw the home they made for themselves in the winter, saw a wooden canoe replica of what they travelled in, a dog which is the same breed (Newfoundland)as the one that travelled with Lewis & Clark, and a little historical video.

  

While in Astoria, we drove up and saw the Astoria column, and ate lunch by the 36th Street pier serenaded by the sounds of sea lions! 

As we drove down the coast further, we followed visitor brochures to hit some sites on the way, making sure to stop for me to get a few pictures of Haystack monolith at Cannon Beach.  The weather was cloudy and a little bit rainy, so we didn’t stop for too long – we were also in the search for a bathroom for the kids. 

Our last stop before our next hotel was – drum roll please – the Tillamook Cheese Factory!  We had fun seeing the cheese be cut and packaged, sampling various cheeses, and enjoying some Tillamook Ice Cream, yummy!  We drove into Newport, OR and checked into hotel #5 and settled in…Here is where we ended up staying for the majority of our time, and loving it….more in the next post.

Birthdays and Baptisms

We have had quite a great month! We have celebrated two birthdays in our family, and one baptism. I hardly feel old enough to have an 8 year old child. Our first birthday was Baby B’s. She is officially 1-year-old! And my, how fast that first year has gone. Up until this month, she has had only two bottom teeth and now has 4 (the top two just coming in in the last two weeks). B has been a cranky baby because of the teething. She does love to eat and gets mad when she is in her highchair without any food in front of her. F and I are often giving her pieces of food during the prayer just to keep her quiet and busy. She loves to take baths and play in the water, but doesn’t like to lay down to be rinsed off. She smiles, laughs, and loves to play with K and L. For her birthday, we invited family over to celebrate with presents and cake and ice cream. It is so funny to watch baby’s on their first birthday. B had no idea what is going on. She loved to tear through the wrapping paper and low and behold a toy! As soon as she sees the toy and wants to play with it, its taken away by K and L and replaced with a new package. She would not want to open another gift when she just wanted to play with the toy she just saw. She got new clothes and some new fun toys. When we gave her the cake and let her dig in, she was not that interested. F took her hand and smashed the cake and gave her a little bit. She played a little, but didn’t care to eat any of the cake, she would push it away when we tried to give her a bite. Ice cream is another story. She loves ice cream. Some of the presents she got for her birthday were a baby doll, a little piano, a toy dog, and a wagon. Since she is not walking yet, but very close, her wagon is more of a carriage for her. K and L love to have her sit in the wagon, in which she is just the perfect size, and pull her around the room. B will sit there and enjoy the ride, usually with the dog, baby doll, and piano on her lap.

This last weekend, she woke up around midnight, just screaming. F got up with her, tried to give her a binky and rock her back to sleep. B was not going for it. She continued to cry and point to our room, where I was still in bed. After a little bit of this, I got up and decided to sit in our room with her. Shortly after being in my arms, she took her binky and settled down. She did not, however, go back to sleep. She laid her head on my shoulder and was wide awake. I did try to put her back in bed after a while, but she screamed again. I tried to bring her into our bed and hold her there, again screaming. By this time, I was done. F took her again and gave her some pain reliever. This time, I got bundled up and sat/laid on the couch in our family room and we stayed there for about an hour. She was wide awake, but laid still, adjusting every so often. I tried to get a little rest with her, and I might have, but I was thinking how I love this! I would have preferred all of us in our own beds sleeping peacefully, but loved the fact that she only wanted her mommy and how she simply wanted to be cuddled. She won’t want this forever and I was loving it – as tired as I would be the next day, it didn’t matter because of the moment.

Well, Birthday #2 was for our oldest – K. She is now 8 years old. She has had nearly a weeks worth of celebrations and attention. It all began with a birthday party with her friends. She wanted a makeover party. When the girls came, they began with decorating their own little bag and colored a picture of a face. We then had a little bit of food – a popcorn-trail mix, strawberry jell-o and juice. After that we separated into 3 groups. Thankfully my mom and sister came to help out! There were four stations. Make-up, Nails, Hair, and Accessories. Here is what we did at each station:

Make-up: Eyeshadow & lipstick. My mom had picked up some eyeshadow that looks like a lipgloss and was bright colored and a big hit.

Nails: Crackle nail polish and several colors to choose from.

Hair: Combs, elastics, headbands.

Accessories: The girls made felt flowers to put onto their headband and spelled their name with letters that slide onto a bracelet.

After we finished that, K opened her presents and ate cake and ice cream. The girls had a great time and loved being able to put on make-up and paint their nails.

The next day we had family over for presents, cake and ice cream. We saved a few of our presents for her real birthday. On K’s birthday she opened up a new outfit before heading off to school. I volunteer for her class and teach art, so I had arranged to come in and teach that day, which I also brought in cookies for her to share with her class. As we drove home, F (who was home for the day) set out her big gift – a new bike. K was excited for her new big bike (the other one was getting a bit too small). Thankfully the weather was warm enough that she was able to ride for a while before we headed out to dinner. K chose to go to Black Bear Diner for dinner, She had a great day, and so did we. Only one more event!

Friday, K had the day off from school. I had plans to go to shopping for food for her baptism, but we got a call from a friend who said they were going to go sledding (it had just snowed the day before). We jumped on the chance to go. B was not fond of the snow (we don’t have snow clothes for her). The kids had a great time with friends going down the hills, despite the fact that their snow pants were too short. After sledding, K went to her friends house, and I took the other kids shopping. We got all the food we needed for the baptism and as an added bonus, I found snow pants on clearance for $3-5!

Saturday, we spent getting food cooked and ready, and cleaning & straightening up the house. K was baptized and confirmed by F and we  were glad to be surrounded by family and friends. K had invited our next door neighbors who came, they have been like an extra set of grandparents to the kids. F’s mother gave a great talk on Baptism and my dad gave a great talk on the Holy Ghost. We invited everyone over following the baptism for an early dinner. The menu was simple, but delicious. We served BBQ Chicken Salad, fruit and dessert. F had spent all morning cooking the chicken and we devoted quite a bit of time to shredding the chicken before the baptism. It was a beautiful day and wonderful way to end the birthday month. We are so proud that K made her own decision to be baptized and know she is blessed because of it.
It was fun to see how excited she was for all of it! When she and I were in the dressing room changing before the confirmation, she kept telling me to move faster. We still got out before F. Both of our girls are beautiful smart girls, with a smart and clever brother in the middle. We love to cuddle up with each of them and see their smiling faces each day. We love them all!

Friendship

Last night our fhe was reading/discussing the first presidency meeting in the Nov. Friend magazine. We talked about how Christ wants each of us to be a friend to others and it makes Him happy. One way was to help others to come to church. This was perfect because since July, I have been picking up a family and bringing either their 3 girls or occasionally adding their mom and little brother. K will get a little disappointed because she has to squeeze in the seat with someone else. We talked to the kids about why we are doing this. We are doing this to help them out (they only have 1 car that dad takes to work on Sun.). We do this because it is what Christ would have us do. We're not looking to receive any awards or be praised by other people. We're not looking to higher our status, but to do the right thing.

When we were done with our discussion, K said we should make a Friend Chart of those that we helped that day. She made columns for each family member. My list and L's list were the shortest. Mine listed the name of a friend (I had her two youngest girls over - one played with L and the other is just older than B). L's listed only the friend he played with. K's listed 6 friends from school, Dad's list was Mom, K, L, and B. B's was the best: (Her friend), Dad, Mom, K and L. Except Dad's name had been crossed off. During dinner, as Dad fed B some food, she bit his finger several times with her small, but very sharp two bottom teeth. For that she had not been a friend to Dad.

I thought our impromtu fhe was great to remind us of being a good friend and why we do it. I was thinking of talking about Thanksgiving and being thakful, but we had a great time remembering to be a good friend and looking to help others out. This time of year is when we most reflect upon the gifts we have been given, but I think we also need to find the joy in helping others and spreading happiness. I love when my children are more excited to give something to someone else than what they are going to receive themselves. I am thankful for the blessing to have freedom of religion and be able to worship our Heavenly Father, but also being able to teach our children about Him and His beautiful plan.

My Girls!

Just a few little up dates on the going on's at our house. K just finished 1st grade! She had a great year and lots of fun. We couldn't be more proud of her perfect report card. She is growing up into a young lady - scary! The last week of school, K kept telling me who she wanted to have as her 2nd grade teacher, and was so excited when she got that teacher. It will be an exciting new adventure because all of her good friends are in other classes. I have been pretty bummed though because I found out a few months ago that one of K's best friends who has special needs, would be transfering to a special needs school. I haven't told her this and don't want to. When I was asking about her friends and what teachers they had she had to say this about her friend. "She is in another class. I thought we'd always be together." That just made my heart melt! K has been a great friend to this girl and teachers, other students, her friend's mom, and myself have noticed the impact K has had.

K has been growing her hair out for a while and had decided she was ready to have it cut. I had suggested to her to donate her hair like I have a few times. K kept asking if I had made an appointment for her, and finally the weekend of Memorial Day, she had her hair chopped off. She had 9 inches cut off and still had hair long enough. We will be donating her hair to Pantene's program which requires at least 8 inches. K could have done 10 inches for Locks of Love, but decided to let her keep a little bit more of her hair. She looks so beautiful!

The last week of school, the entire first grade did a program. K had been singing the songs for the last few weeks, so we have all learned the songs. I can't believe how fast the last year has gone - or to have a child getting ready to enter 2nd grade and prepare to be baptized!

As for Baby B, we have reached the fourth month! She weighed in at a whopping 18 lbs! No wonder my arms are beginning to show some definition. She is such a happy baby who laughs and smiles. Baby B recently discovered she has toes and love to try and grab them.

We have a little toy she can kick while laying down. Occasionally she gets so worked up, she will have turned herself a good 90 degrees and not be able to kick at it anymore. One Sunday, while we were eating lunch, I looked down at her to find that not only had she shimmied 90 degrees, but that she was on her stomach! Just a fluke. She is not a rolling baby...yet. She naps great during the day, but night time sleep...or lack of it, is making me a little sleep deprived. Most nights I only get about 3 hours at the longest stretch, with her only getting up 2 times. For Father's day, she gave F and I a great present - only waking once each night for Friday and Saturday nights. I felt so renewed on Sunday. I have tried to give her a binky and wrap her up tight, but she just cries louder and is a bit offended at my actions (it does work sometimes). I have been spoiled with the sleep habits of the other two children, now Baby B is giving me a run for it!

For FREEEE?!

Last night, soccer was cancelled for K due to the large amount of rain that had fallen from the sky that day, but the Family Night that was put on by the city parks & rec and the fire dept. was still on. The had it at the park K plays soccer and has a skate park. We loaded up and snuggled up for the cooler weather. We knew that at this particular event there would be bike helmets for purchase ($5!), and they would also be raffling off a number of helmets. The first thing we did was got 3 tickets for the kids and entered the raffle. We were going to walk to the pavilion to purchase some helmets, when we noticed the raffle was about to begin. They read off a number of numbers. Low and behold, we had not one, but two of our tickets called. After the raffle, we headed over to the pavilion, sized the older two and myself for bike helmets. In L's words, he has a "cool red helmet." Up until this point, he had not had a helmet of his own. I also got a "cool red helmet" and K got a purple helmet - all for only $5. We spent some time learning about fire trucks from the firemen and L was excited to see all of the tools they have, he even (with help) held the fireman's axe. To our advantage, the rain had discouraged a number of people from attending, but there was still a good crowd. After the second raffle, and our third number not called, we headed home. We are now ready for summer riding!

Happy, Happy Birthday, K!

7 Things We Love about K:

1. She is sensitive and kind to everyone.

2. She is loving toward L and Baby B.

3. She plays the piano very well.

4. She is a great reader and student.

5. She works hard.

6. She is a big help around the home.

7.She is a great example to others.

K just recently celebrated her 7th birthday! She was (and always is) so excited for her birthday. This year, we were prepared. I had mentioned to F that K's birthday was coming up, he reply was "We need to figure out what we are doing." My answer, "We've have all of her presents already." Knowing we would be having a new baby in the house, we got all of K's presents before Christmas when we were already out shopping. That's how it is most years. Whatever she doesn't get for Christmas, we give for her birthday. It has made things a whole lot easier, especially this year. For her birthday, we took her out to dinner the night before to the restaurant of her choice, The Mayan. We had a great table right in the splash zone of the divers. F's sister came along with us.

For her birthday, K requested a Rapunzel from Tangled birthday cake - specifically asking for the tower to be on the cake too. I was in for a real challenge, but I always love the outcome. I searched the Internet for pictures to help out for weeks before. I finally found a few pictures to help out. I really do think it turned out nicely - for an amateur cake decorator.

F's brother, his friend, and sister came over for dinner before the rest of my family came over for presents and cake and ice cream. K loved being surrounded by her family, but if you ask who came over for her birthday, she'll say, "My cousins." She loves to be with them and they all have a great time together. We gave K some new shirts, a Tinkerbell movie, the game Scrambled States of America, and a large Disney art set. L gave her a few new Littlest Pet Shop pets. From other family, she got a Strawberry Shortcake Manicure set, more clothes, and a kit to make Friendship bracelets. F's parents were island hopping in the Caribbean during this time, so they came over later that week when they were home and had recovered from jet lag. They brought K a doll from St. Lucia, some clothes, nail polish and hair clips that change color in the sun. Now for a few sunny days!

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