I Love to See the Temple

Yesterday, we took a trip to the temple as a family. Often, Matt and I will take turns going while the other takes the kids to a nearby park, but we didn't get out in time for both of us to catch a session, so I decided to take the kids around the temple grounds. We hadn't done that yet.

My sweet babies. I am so grateful to be sealed to them forever!

Yes, E and M traded dresses halfway through the outing. M's dress was too long, and E's was too short. They both looked ridiculous, and it took me over an hour to come up with the ingenious idea of making them switch dresses.

J wanted to walk around the walkway over and over again. He spent most of the time waiting for us slowpokes.

And this is why. The girls wanted to take time to smell all the flower beds.

Both E and M took turns showing us the way down the path. They were very cute.

It was fun, but not without its share of mishaps. E insisted on pushing W's stroller. After walking around the temple, we went to run around on the grass by the church across the parking lot. We were walking along the sidewalk and I let the kids get a little way ahead of me. The stroller started going down the ramp and E lost control. The stroller tipped over, landing W-side-down. I dropped everything I was holding, ran full tilt in high heels across the distance and scooped W up. I'm afraid he is quite road burned, but he is okay. E was quite horrified. She tried her best to keep him upright, but W ways more than half her weight, and the stroller is as tall as she is almost. There was no way she could stop it. Other than that, and a little incident with Emily's hood getting caught in someone's hand resulting in a skinned elbow, it was a great trip. When we got home, the house was so peaceful. We had cleaned it before we left, and it was so nice to just sit for a little while and soak in life.

I Love My Kids

Surprise!

Matt finally finished a roll of film that had been in his camera for awhile. Here are a few of the pictures (the rest I have to scan, so I'll post them maybe tomorrow).

Hello blue eyes!

Guess Who

Matt has a roll of film in his camera and he finally finished it and got it developed. We found a few fun surprises.

Me and My Babies

Message

I am not a make up person. I never have been. I wore mascara and some times foundation in high school. I have been known to wear no make up at all to church (twice or so because I forgot). The other day I horrified my friend when I told her that I ran out of foundation...six months ago and hadn't gotten around to getting more. I'm not opposed to make up, and it does feel nice to get dolled up occasionally. For example, I had a hot date last weekend, and I wanted to dress up, so I went and restocked my makeup stash. (We had fun btw).

On Monday E sneaked into my makeup and put foundation all over her hands and eyelids. ($12 a bottle for my silly sensitive skin. ack!). When she got in trouble, she protested that she didn't get into my mascara (she has been in trouble for that before). She said she just wanted to be pretty. Sheesh! I know it's not a big deal, but it's crazy that she already has that idea in her head. I suppose it didn't help that makeup is such a novelty in our house. And I suppose wanting to look nice isn't a big deal either.

News of the Day

It's always interesting, to me at least, to see what foods my kids like at first. Joe was our carnivore. He ate well before, but that was the clincher. E hated fruits but LOVED all vegetables. M tolerated everything until she could feed herself. W loves green beans and mixed grain cereal...and that's it. He tolerates sweet potatoes, but hates everything else. He has been excited to start feeding himself a few things lately. Last night, he wrestled the spoon away from me and tried to get the cereal out of the bowl. That last statement was embarrassingly gushy. Sorry.

This morning, E said it would be "Delightfully delightful" if we had a tea party. How can you refuse that?

We have been the the center for Ultimate Fighting lately. It is driving me crazy! The girls are at each other's throats. Or they're inseparable best friends. Sometimes I want to pull my hair out. Good thing they're cute!!

More on the recess front. They have been canceling recess because of the cold or the wet or whatever else. But, they've been doing math activities instead, so that's good, right? I'm going to schedule a meeting with the principle. Ludicrous!

J's School Program

J had a school program on Thursday in celebration of Black History Month. The videos are the best our little camera could do, but it will at least give you the general idea. You can't see J in the first video, but he pokes out halfway through the second. J is in the second row behind the girl in the light pink shirt and red pants, and the boy in the plaid shirt. I got almost as much entertainment out of watching the girl in pink. She was getting really into it - it was cute. You can see J busting a move of his own in the background. It's nights like this that make not dislike his school as much. I think it would be alright for him to stay until middle school.

Yay, J!

Congratulations to J! He was on the Principles Honor Roll for having a straight "O" (equivalent of "A") report card! He also got an award for special achievement in Art. He's such a good boy!

To Thine Own Self Be True

For the last three or four years, I have been really bugged with my hair. I would look in the mirror and say "Man, my hair looks really dark today. Yuck! It must be dirty/bad lighting/not straightened well enough." I have always though of myself as a blonde (ridiculous, right), but it never looked blonde. Finally, one day I looked at my hair, and it donned on me; I have brown hair. That made all the difference. When I tried to make it blonde in my head, I was always dissatisfied, but the second I let it be what it was, I could appreciate it.

I have been learning this lesson on a broader level too. When I realize I am the type of person/mom/wife/woman I am and don't try to be something I'm not, I am happier. I can work with what I have and find peace.

What We've been Up To

It's been a crazy week! We've been "snowed under", so J has gone to school a total of one half day this week. It was fun, kind of an impromptu vacation. I must say that I don't necessarily love the slush storms. Snow - LOVE. Ice storms - Magical. Slushy rain/snow mix - eh. It's still been great. This morning, E came downstairs with barely contained excitement and said "Mom, come look out my window! I have a surprise." We went up and stared at the snowy wonderland, exclaiming over tire tracks and the fog our breath made on the window. Snow is amazing.

We got our washer today, and have started the somewhat daunting task of catching up. I've been rotating what clothes I wash so that none of them have gone THAT long without being washed. It will be SOOO relieving to be caught up and not have piles of laundry taking over my life. I had the kids help gather and sort the laundry this morning.

For church on Sunday (since it was cancelled), we made a little "movie" with a cardboard box, two sticks, and pieces of paper taped together. The kids loved it so much that we did it again on Wednesday. M was so proud of this pose and wanted me to take a picture. She's growing up so fast!

You can kind of see our movie behind M's head.

Of course, the snow. E thought it tasted delicious. M and W were out for a total of thirty seconds before they started screaming, so it was a big-kids-only snow week.

And...last off. I took my first crack at fondant. It was fun! The kids helped design and decorate it (which makes a convenient excuse for the less than pro outcome).

Obscenely Happy

So, I spent a lot of money last night. We got a new washing machine! Our "old" one started acting up last spring. We nurse and finagled and cursed and pleaded, but by November, it was officially incapacitated and ready to be sent to the trash heap. So, after three months of washing clothes in my bathtub, and borrowing a very generous friend's machine a few times (I love you, Shannon!), we can get back to normal!!! I am so very excited. Yes. I am excited to do laundry! Nothing like deprivation to make you thankful for something you used to view as a burden. I also really appreciated what my brother said. For the most part I haven't felt sorry for myself and taken this as a character-building experience. When I briefly mentioned what has been going on to John, he surprised me by not replying in pitying tones, but said "Good for you! You didn't go into debt." It was a nice boost, because we definitely wanted to do it the right no matter what sacrifices we had to make. Now I'm just glad to have my own functioning washing machine again. YAY!!!!!