camkangoo

the third graders just completed their fantasy animal project--the first of I'm sure many big projects to come over the next several years.  L was assigned the desert as her biome.  She had to research facts about the desert, plus research 3 plants and 3 animals and what adaptations they have for her assigned biome.   All this information was then creatively and beautifully arranged on a huge free standing tri fold poster board along with her own fantasy animal and it's adaptations.  She then had to dress up as her animal and participate in a wax museum experience for the whole school, giving oral presentation of her project and answering questions.  and she did amazing!  Her animal, the "camkangoo" was a combination of a camel, kangaroo rat and gopher.  It was creative and cute and very well done.  I learned a lot right along with her and was very proud of her diligence and how much work and time she poured into her project.

2-22

quote of the day: "you just have to loopty-loop it and it's fixed!" E describing how I should sew a button back onto her jacket

happy: made another birthday cake today.  it was the first time I've carved chocolate for embellishments and love how it turned out.  I've done lots of cakes before but lately I'm really enjoying it and wanting to do more and more.

sad: now that baby Z is lightening fast at crawling, we have to be so careful about baby proofing.  unfortunately our big and busy family means a lot of clutter and toys and it's a full time endeavor to keep baby from eating things he shouldn't

Z at 11 months

I LOVE THIS KID! He makes me so happy.  I love his light-up-the-world smile and squishy cute kissable cheeks.  I love how he grabs on and hugs me tight, grabbing fistfuls of my hair (he especially loves when I wear a braid).  He is a noisy, jabbering monster who loves to listen to himself squeal.  Baby Z now has 14 teeth including two molars.  He sleeps well through the night, wiggling and crawling and snuggling his face into his blankets all night.  He loves his bath and slapping at the water.  He loves his blocks and when sisters read to him.  He loves Facetime and lights up when he sees Dad or Grammy.  But his very favorite thing to do is eat!  When I put him in his high chair he immediately lifts up his arms so I can clip the tray on and willingly tips his head forward so I can fasten his bib.  His favorite foods are blueberries, bananas, oatmeal and cheerios.  His least favorite food is meat.  And he eats a ton!  He eats at least as much as his sisters.  He reluctantly takes a bottle of milk at bedtime and has a sippy cup that he mostly just plays with.  Instead he wants a regular glass and will grab at mine any time its in reach.  He has pretty much stopped nursing, just an occasional comfort feeding.  He won’t wear shoes and chews on everything.  He is an expert at crawling and can zip across the room, especially if there’s a popcorn kernel or lego just waiting for him to put in his mouth.  He can pull himself up on furniture and has outgrown his baby carrier.  (awhile ago actually, I’m just stalling as long as possible, reluctant to give up the convenience of him being strapped in under a blanket when we hurry in and out of places)  He gives a high 5 and is just starting to wave.  And he winks!!!! he winks at me!!!  both eyes, like an "I dream of genie" blink/wink but a million times cuter.  He’s messy and silly and noisy and happy and I can’t get enough!

valentine's

If I was to post valentines using only pictures it would look something like this...

Sunday
*breakfast: pink heart shaped pancakes
*3 cute girls dressed up for church
*me and sick baby Z taking a nap together
*three little girls writing out stacks of valentines for their classmates
*delicious salmon dinner husband made for us

Monday
*the gorgeous bouquet of flowers husband surprised me with before he raced off to the airport
*A finishing her new valentine box, a sparkly pink candy vending machine (which went to school along with L's cheerful Olaf box that she made in first grade)
*husband unpacking his suitcase at the hotel to find one E's baby blanket and a box of chocolates hidden inside
*me at midnight cuddling a fussy baby and watching Valentines Day the movie

Tuesday
*rock candy treats sitting just outside our fairy door, a valentines day gift
*breakfast of heart shaped blueberry muffins and yogurt next to their gift bags, each with a new shirt and a small valentine box of chocolates
*five huge cupcake bouquets I made and sold--unbelievably cute if I do say so myself
*three happy girls comparing their valentines and candy loot from school parties
*screen shot of husband and I exchanging cheesy pick up lines and thinking-of-you flirting
*dinner of pink tortellinis, strawberries and cucumbers
*E on her way out the door for her valentines date with grandpa
*a heartbroken E, eyes red from crying.  Grandpa had dropped her off after their date, watched her open the unlocked door and drove off before she realized I wasn't home.  (I thought they would be much longer at dinner and forgot to tell him I had to pick up the dance carpool tonight)  She panicked, sobbed, prayed and then packed one of daddy's suitcases and went in search of a neighbor to help her find mom.  Smart girl had packed a blanket, a clean shirt, a snack, her tablet and her pandas.  Our next door neighbor wasn't home but E saw lights on across the street so she went there, called me and I came racing home.  I felt so awful for not communicating better with grandpa.  fortunately E forgives easily and bounced right back.  meanwhile I bawled my eyes out, deeply regretting the miscommunication and being so grateful for a sweet neighbor for being the answer to both our prayers.  cute girl insisted we take the neighbor cookies a few days later to say hi again.
*and finally a big pile of me and all my girls cuddled up at bedtime while Z, the baby Tasmanian devil sleeper, did laps in his crib as he slept

the little things

my happy of the day is usually little, rather trivial in the grand scheme of things.  But all those little things add up.  And some days, it feels like a huge accomplishment to me!

like when the girls wake up on time, are fully dressed, fed breakfast, brushed teeth and on time for the bus with no yelling or frantic dash out the door.  and on a really, really good day, I might even do something cute and creative with their hair instead of the usual quick ponytail.

or when dinner is healthy, made from scratch and delicious.  Usually I can get 2 out of 3.  but those 3 out of 3 days do happen!  and especially appreciated when all of us can sit and leisurely enjoy it together instead of racing off to classes or lessons or arguing with kids about how much to eat.

I love when I can sit with the girls during their piano practice to encourage and coach them.  Yesterday I played cards with A and E on the floor while L practiced, patiently taking my advice.  And then A and E took turns practicing with me while the other played cards with L.

I love our lazy weekend mornings when husband makes breakfast with the kids with music on and kids giggling.

I love when I get all the kids to bed on time, having read books and scriptures and shared our happy and sads and they went to bed feeling loved and appreciated.

I love having an inviting kitchen with an empty sink and clean countertop to start my morning.

I love when I find all three girls curled in one bed together reading or when I hear them playing in the toy room and get to listen to their imaginations race away together.

I love when I'm efficient and productive and get things checked off my to do list.  I love when my days played out the way I wanted them to and the time was spent constructively and purposefully.

I love walking around the grocery store with Z sitting in the cart jabbering and hanging onto every words as I describe the groceries I'm picking out and what we can make with them.

I love when we have focused homework time.  The girls take turns asking me questions and I keep moving around the table to help them.  E brings along a coloring book just so she doesn't feel left out.  We don't rush or get frustrated but work together and share an afterschool snack.

I love when the girls beg to stay up late so they can read.

And that they will do extra chores to earn a trip to the library.

I love empty laundry baskets.

I love climbing into my bed at night, with clean smooth sheets, on my super comfy mattress and cozy comforter.

This is not one of those weeks.  Husband is out of town and the kids have the flu (one at a time of course) which means the house is a wreck and I've gotten very little done.  We are all sleep deprived and have had plenty of grumpy moments. I haven't cooked all week and dropped the ball on several things I needed to do.  But I've loved the cuddles and the chick flicks and the sweet compassion they have for each other.  Being productive will have to wait, I've got babies to hold.

January

a wonderful Christmas break with so much fun and family and playing abruptly ended launching us back into a comparatively demanding routine of school and lessons.  We were staying up too late and having a rough time settling back in for awhile.  But somehow it all smoothed out and mornings are getting easier.  Our days are still busy, in a productive, good way.  Piano lesson are going well, L loves dance more than ever if possible and A finished the month by testing for her orange belt in karate!  Z mastered crawling, prompting a quick installation of baby gates and lots of lectures of why we have to keep the floor clean and lego-free.

Our weekends have been busy and packed with fun.  The girls and I made a deal that they can each have a friend over on friday if all their homework is done and turned in.  "Friend Friday" has been a big hit with different friends over every weekend, usually staying for dinner and a movie.  Saturdays have been spent skiing, relishing the record amount of snow this month.  Daddy takes one of them out in the morning, I take the second one over at lunchtime to trade.  They're doing great! I can't believe how fast they are learning and I love watching the videos husband records to show me.  And then I've spent my Saturday evenings at a cake decorating course with my mom and sisters.  It was a brilliant and thoughtful Christmas gift from my mom and has been so fun. I love decorating cakes but I'm mostly Youtube taught so I'm learning much better technique.  And then Sundays are wonderful.  Our ward should have moved to 9am but we're too big to share the building.  So we still meet at 1pm and get to have our long mornings with a big lazy breakfast and plenty of time to shower, fix hair, write in journals and even watch Jesus movies when we can.  Husband's schedule is filling up with stake meetings so we play and schedule meals when he can join.  Even with his busy schedule, we've had families over for sunday dinner each week, renewing friendships and getting to know our neighbors better.


I'm not teaching as much at the gym--water aerobics isn't as well attended in the colder months.  And I strained my shoulder so I'm not working out as much either, just my minimum twice a week.  But feeling better and ready to increase it.  Z's schedule is becoming a little more predictable and his nap times allows me more time to do what needs to get done.  I've been reading more and preparing better planned meals more often.  It's been a really good month.  Maybe not always as productive as I wish, but I'd rather spend my time cuddling any day.  I'm so grateful for the incredible life I've been blessed with.

Grandma's birthday

It's been two years since Grandma passed away.  It some ways it seems it can't have been that long and in other ways, it's heartbreakingly true.  On the anniversary of her passing we had dinner with Grandpa, going out to our local favorite.  Over dinner the girls asked Grandpa for stories, how they met, how he proposed and more.  Then we picked up several flavors of ice cream to enjoy at his house while we introduced the kids to "The Princess Bride"--and immediate favorite.  Last night was her birthday.  When the girls got home from school, we hurried to the store to pick out balloons and then took them to cemetery (their idea, so sweet).  They each picked their favorite color and said a grandma memory.  Then we drove down to the valley to for dinner.  We went to Braza Grill, a longtime family favorite, often frequented for birthdays.  We were joined by a few of Grandma's siblings and ate lots of tasty food.  The girls were super talkative and shared lots of stories and had fun trying all the food.  Z had a great time devouring grapes and trying to eat the paper tablecloth.  His hugs are magic!  And Grandpa brought three roses, Grandma's favorite, for the girls.

facetime

baby Z LOVES facetime.  When I call Grammy, he lights up hearing it ring and his face splits into a beaming smile.  When Grammy answers she rewards her with smiles and jabbers, glancing back and forth between Grammy and me looking for cues and conversation.  He is SO fun.

piano

L has been playing piano for two years now.  It's been a journey of hills and valleys in her willingness and excitement.  She loves to preform though, to play along with grandpa or to play her newest song for her Grammy or great aunt.  Lately has been a wonderful hill where she eagerly goes to the piano for practice and the baby has been sleeping in, giving me a chance to sit and play with her.  She loves it and I am constantly in awe of how well she plays.  She has great natural rhythm and an exceptional memory.  Right now she is preparing for the music festival and is so exciting. Last year she entered in four categories and it was a good challenge--something to prepare for and be adjudicated.  This year she in preforming in all nine categories.  More to come.


This month, A and E began lessons as well.  They are in the same class--the oldest and the youngest.  A took to it like a fish to water.  She's attentive and eager and picks up each element very quickly.  E's youth is a challenge, she frustrates easily and her attention span is short.  But she's loving it and begs to keep trying when I suggested she might be too young.


We're figuring out regular practice times and how to juggle kids during lessons.  I am so grateful for this unusual and brilliant program that has been so fun and successful for L and I'm excited to have A and E join too!