Spring Break Day 4

This morning Kari and I walked. The weather has been great! I wish I could bottle it and get it out in June-September! I am so excited for Kari and since she put it on her blog, I don't have to keep it a secret anymore that she is expecting baby #4 in September! So fun!

Today I decided to try the Deer Valley Rock Art Center. I had no idea it was even here, but we went and it was cool, but I think my girls were too young. There was a very small "museum" but my girls weren't really interested in that, then there is about a 1/4 mile hike where you look at the petroglyphs. We kind of flew threw it quickly, but they kind of enjoyed looking for the petroglyphs on the little "scavenger hunt" thing they gave them at the beginning. They saw a bunch of lizards which they really enjoyed seeing and at the end when they turned in their paper they got a little glow in the dark bug. It was something to do, but they would probably like it more if they were studying it in school or a little older.




Tonight I went to enrichment. It was a vintage tea party theme to celebrate the Relief Society's birthday. We had dinner with little tea party things--little sandwiches, strawberries and salad with cake for dessert. We assembled Easter baskets for under privileged kids that will be delivered to an organization--I can't remember now which one it is. It was fun and we were able to put together 27 really nice baskets. At the end we played family feud with questions about the Relief Society and about being LDS. It was a fun night and always fun to socialize.


I left the kitchen for about 30 seconds and came back in to find this!

Spring Break Day 3

This morning I got up and Brian and I cleaned up a bit before getting ready. Brian cleaned bathrooms and did some vacuuming and I just tidied up around the house. We all got ready, then took Brian to work. Our van was getting an oil change, so we took him so I could have a car. After we dropped him off, we went to Saguaro Ranch Park to the historic area where they were having a "Day at the Ranch" for spring break. Each of the girls got a paper with a bingo game on it. They had to go around to 11 booths and get each square crossed off. It was a little bit crazy keeping track of everyone and such, but I think my girls had a good time. Their favorite things were riding the little tractor pedal cars, doing laundry the old-fashioned way and looking in the historic homes.

This afternoon we just hung out at home. My parents came over for a little bit so my mom could take pictures of the girls for a project she is working on. After they left, we headed out to pick up Brian. We had time for dinner before he left again for mutual and the girls and I went to Fry's. I had some groceries to get and so I figured I'd let the girls play in the play center. Hattie got to go in for the first time. She went right in and had a great time.

Spring break is tiring me out!

Spring Break Day 2

This morning Eliza got up and set out her St. Patrick's Day treasure hunt. She had cut out shamrocks from green paper and made a little hunt that eventually led out out to the car where there was a little leprechaun and some gold coin chocolates as the treasure. It was very creative. Then we got ready and the girls made sure everyone was in green! No one got pinched around here! After we were ready, we headed to my mom's and then went to my aunt Deb's house in Gilbert. It was our day to show her and Emali how to make bread. It was a great day! I think we were successful in teaching them how and with a little practice they'll be making their own delicious homemade bread! All the girls had fun--6 girls between me and Em--playing and eating Deb out of house and home. I think they cleaned out her pantry!


While the bread was rising, Emali made the frosting for and assembled a cake for her dad's birthday which is today. It was a Paula Dean recipe and it looked so good! The frosting was delicious as we all sampled some and scraped the bowl.




While the bread was cooling, we went to Costco. Deb had told us they sold wheat at her Costco, so we checked it out and we got some lunch from the food court. It went well but Em and I were constantly hopping to keep all the girls happy and fed. My mom and Deb enjoyed a nice lunch at a table next to us. I think they enjoyed the entertainment.

On the way home, we got Sonic--I think we all got slushes except my mom. It was a fun, productive day!

Tonight after Brian got home and a quick dinner, we went swimming at the resort. Well, Eliza and Libby swam, Brian got in to about his knees, Hattie and Ellie splashed in the shallow part and I got up to my ankles before retreating to a beach chair. It was FREEZING! I am a wimp when it comes to cold water, but it was too cold for me. They all had fun. We even got to see a hot air balloon take off right by the resort and it went right over the pool area--it was so close and huge!! It was a fun sight.

Libby's Field Day

Here are some papparazi pictures from Libby's field day on Friday.

Spring Break Day 1

Yesterday I ended up staying home with Ellie. She didn't wake up with a fever, but I didn't want to risk it and she had a cough and runny nose. I kept Hattie home, too, so Brian could just stay in Sacrament with Eliza and Libby. I turned on BYU TV and listened to a few talks and I also put Eliza and Libby's new clothes away. That was a task because it meant I had to go through their drawers and closet. But it's done.

We went to my parents for dinner and had a simple but so good dinner--lunch meat sandwiches. YUM! I brought the stuff and made pizzokie for dessert.

Well, today was our first day of spring break! I met Kari first for a nice walk. The weather was great! After I got home, Brian went to work and we all got ready. I made our lunches and packed it up and we headed up to the outlets so we could play in their water and on the little playground thing. We got there and no water!! Apparently they don't turn it on unless it's 90 degrees or hotter!! We were bummed out!! We ate our lunch and the girls played a little bit.


Then we packed back up and headed to Westgate to play in their water since the girls were excited to play and had their swim stuff on. Luckily their water was on! They all had a blast playing and getting wet. All but Eliza were timid at first, but by the end Ellie and Libby got pretty wet, too. Hattie had fun running around and getting a little wet. After playing we got some ice cream for Cold Stone. It was a fun time!





We came home and I put Hattie down for a nap. Libby and I colored for a while, Ellie and Eliza played barbies. Later we went out front for a while until Brian came home, then we made dinner and ate it out front, too. Eliza gave our FHE lesson about Jonah and the whale, then we played dodge ball and had mini pizzokies for treat. Then it was bath and bed!

Secret Agent

That is how I felt this yesterday morning. Libby had her field day--where the classes play fun games together. I was planning to go and we talked about it this week. Well, this morning came, and Libby said she didn't want me to come. I figured that might happen. Or I was afraid I would go and she wouldn't want to do anything. So I hemmed and hawed about what to do. I called Terri to see if she was going to see if she could snap some pictures of her for me. She didn't know about it, but she was at the school anyway, so she stayed to take pictures of Libby and Carson. I decided to go and watch from afar. We drove by slowly and watched, then I saw that the activities were far from an area where I could watch. So we parked and went over to the field. I was able to watch her the whole time without her seeing me! Their last activity was the tug of war, close to where we were, but we were very discreet and hid behind the dug out so the fence camouflaged us. After they were ALL done, I went up to her and said hi and told her good job. I think she was shocked that I was there.

Then in the afternoon, I went back for Eliza's field day. But this time I was able to go as myself and be seen. Eliza also had a really fun time doing the little games. She was excited because the girls in the class beat the boys in tug-o-war.







No kids were strangled in the taking of this photo!

Ellie and Hattie had fun, too!

Last night was Jodi's wedding reception. Phil's parents backyard was decorated so beautifully and it looked so nice. Once again, it was nice to see people from past wards that I haven't seen in a long time. My girls had a great time socializing, too.

Today Brian went mountain biking with his friend from work, then he went into work for a few hours. The girls and I did some things around the house this morning, then we went out front for a while. Eliza went over to our new neighbors. His mom was over and she had one of those really tiny dogs. So Eliza made herself at home and played with the dog for a while. They had a lot of fun and the mome said she enjoyed having Eliza over. Brian got home and I headed to the grocery store. I picked the line with the price match Nazi lady, but I was able to get all but one bag of chips because she said it was a different size. I could have protested, but I didn't. We came home and loaded up and headed up to Anthem where we got totally spoiled. My VT companion from a year or two ago has two girls a little older than ours and she started giving me hand-me-downs. Well, she has continued and has been stocking up. No kidding--the back of our van was completely filled and so was the front seat. I had to sit in the back with the girls. It took Eliza, Libby and I over 2 hours to go through everything. We felt so blessed to receive all those clothes and they are so great--the girls love them. Here is a photo pre-tornado in my room of all the bags.

Brian went to a soccer game tonight at ASU--it was some Chicago team and an LA team from the MLS league, I think who played. He went with his brother Jared and my brother Brian. They had a good time.

So I might be taking Ellie back in to the doctor tomorrow. She has her fever back and she says her ears hurt. Today was her 5th day of 5 days on a Z-pack. She shouldn't still be sick. Ugh.

Time

So last night in our camp meeting, Debbie talked about our camp theme. She is so great--in her little intro, she talked about our time versus our Heavenly Father's time. We talked about that one of our days is equal to 1,000 years in His time. She did some math before hand and figured that 1.5 seconds is equal to 1 year. From there she talked about the fact that we waited and watched 7,000 years for the Earth to be created. We also had that time to learn. Then she had us think...how long have we been away from Him? Well, let's say someone lives to the age of 80, we are only gone from Heavenly Father for about 2 hours. Maybe we are only gone for so short a time because He loves us so much and misses us and wants us back with Him. I love that thought. To relate it to girls camp, on HF's time, we have about 8-9 seconds with these girls while we are at girls camp to help teach them and build their testimony. Last night I was talking to Brian about this and we figured that if we have our kids in our home for 20 years--give or take before they are out on their own, we have about 15 minutes with them to teach them. Crazy! It sure puts it more into perspective.

Lazy Days

The past couple of days have been lazy around here. Yesterday Ellie did not feel well! She didn't wake up until after 9, then she was on the couch most of the day. She had a fever all day and was on and off sleeping. She even threw up a few times! So I was lazy with her and wiped her nose, fed her a Popsicle, took her temperature, etc. The only thing she requested to watch on TV was Martha. Funny girl. So we did watch that and it was a tribute to Lilly Pulitzer. That was fun to watch. I love all the colors of her fabrics. I am not sure I could pull off wearing a Lilly, but I do think they are cute. They did show some cute Lilly pencils where were so fun. We also watched our share of Food Network and would tell each other if a certain dish they were making looked good or not. She had a fever in the night, but happily today, she is doing much better and doesn't have a fever.

Today my mom came over and watched Ellie and Hattie while I had one visiting teaching appointment. And tonight I had a camp meeting. I am excited to go. I get to be the camp photographer and put together the slide show there (a little scared about that) and I get to be the assistant craft person with Becky. The perk is to stay in the stake staff cabin with two bathrooms. Sweet!

Seriously

Who else is going to get sick? Last night Ellie was a little fussy during the night be we didn't think anything of it. But today she complained a few times that her ear hurt. Turns out she has an ear infection, too. I told Eliza and Libby to not even think about getting sick any time soon. I am done with dr. visits for a while. I told Brian our HSA account is going to be gone if we keep up this rate. My throat is starting to hurt, but moms aren't allowed to get sick.

Well, Sunday was my lesson--I thought it went well. I ran out of time, so I would prefer that over not having enough material. That night we got to enjoy family dinner at my parents, along with visiting and kids playing. During Sacrament our kidlets had trouble being reverent, so after church while still in church clothes, everyone got to sit on the couch, practicing being reverent. Hope it helps or you'd better bet we'll be back there next week.

We haven't been up to too much lately--I've been reviewing my three month supply lists and trying to get the loose ends taken care of. I got some round steak at Safeway for a great deal and my mom is going to can it for me.

Library, Home Depot, Party

This morning after cleaning up the TP job, we got ready and headed to the grand opening of the new city library. We are really excited because it's close and so nice. It was quite crowded, but we got to look around and the girls watched the juggling show. He was good--even juggled three bowling balls. We checked out a few movies and the girls each got a book. While we were checking out, they had a drawing for the raffle. Well, they called Brian's name and he won a $100 gift card to Wal-Mart. Talk about exciting! That will totally come in handy for groceries! Actually he spent some of it already on a new headlight for his car and a cord we've been wanting to listen to the iPod in the car since ours was toast. Libby really wanted to stick around to hear the rest of the winners and low and behold, I won, too! I won a $25 gift card to Target. It was our lucky day for sure.

From the library we went to Home Depot where they were having an event. There were a few booths, free hot dogs, chips and cotton candy, and a bouncy thing. So we had fun doing that for a while.

This evening we had a celebration to celebrate no more chemo for Makenzie. It was lots of fun--dinner, music, visiting with friends (some we haven't seen for a while) and the kids jumped in a bouncy and danced. We were happy to celebrate this great time for Makenzie.

Now I need to review my lesson for tomorrow.

TP

The girls enjoyed seeing the TP job this morning. They wondered who did it, why, etc. Then they had more fun cleaning it up. Too bad it was a freezing COLD morning!!! Other than high in the tree, I think it's all cleaned up.

Washcloth Anyone?

This is what happens when I leave Libby in the bathtub with Ellie watching and getting the washcloths while I am watching American Idol with Eliza. Nearly every washcloth from my linen closet was in the tub. I was not happy when I went in and saw that. The next time I went in, she had put them around my tub with Polly Pockets on them. I had to take a picture, but I told Libby, "Libby I am taking a picture but I am not happy you did this." It was kind of funny.

This week I've spent taking care of Hattie. She started with a fever on Wednesday morning and throwing up on me first thing in the morning. Nice! And it was the day Brian had an early breakfast for work. Ack! She still had a fever yesterday, so after I got my girls from school for early release we zipped over to the doctor. The verdict: double ear infection! No wonder she felt so awful! So we got some antibiotic and came home! She is finally doing better today.

Today Brian's mom graciously watched Ellie and Hattie while I went to my cousin's wedding. I rode over to the temple with my parents, so that was nice. The ceremony was lovely. It's always nice to see friends and family (aunts/uncles/cousins/grandpa, etc.). It was also fun to see Jodi--she borrowed my wedding dress and veil. It was so fun to see her in it--she looked beautiful! Oh yeah, she also wore the earrings that I wore that were our Grandma Doris'. So that was special. And the alter cloth/doily in the room where they were married was made by my mom's aunt Dovetta. Special little touches always make things so nice! After the wedding, we went to the luncheon at Phil's parents' house.

Tonight we hung out at home. The girls played out front for a long time, then we came in and did dinner and baths. I was putting Eliza to bed and Brian left to get some milk from the store. I feel asleep and when he got home, he came in and told me to come here. I was like, "What?" He said to just come here and he said, "It's on." I was like huh??!! He took me out front only to see that we had been TP'd. Ha! He was coming home from the store and he caught the culprits! It was two girls I had in young women and three boys from his young men's class. When he pulled up, they ran and took off in their car. But we know who it was and can do some friendly revenge when they least expect it! LOL. We decided to leave it TPd so our girls can see it in the morning. I am a little embarrassed though! I'll have to get a picture in the morning.

Notes

I forgot to mention that late Friday night, a few friends and I went and saw Confessions of a Shopaholic. It was a cute movie. I loved the yummy popcorn and drink a lot, too! :)

I wanted to type up my notes from conference, so I wouldn't forget. This is from Elder Shumway.

--keep covenants and pay tithing
--we are on earth to gain an eternal family
--5 most important words are: I am proud of you. 4--What is your opinion. 3--If you please. 2--Thank you.
--dedicate all we are to our families
--have family dinner
--don't neglect spouse or family for work, business, school, etc.
--love, teach & respect children
--pray with and for your children
--our spouse is the only possession we take with us.
--don't be lax with your marriage
--his personal opinion is to not spank children.
--ours is a custodial relationship with out kids. Welcome them into your homes and nurture them and love them with all your hearts.
--Satan is on the loose, so watch out! The only power Satan has is the power you give him.

His speaking style was for sure rapid fire, but I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of his talk.

On Sunday, we had the 9 AM session. I joked that we should just start out in the primary room and watch it from in there. But we didn't and our girls actually did great. I didn't get to take too many notes, but I did manage to write a few things down about missionary work for my lesson on Sunday.