Fun Run & Easter Party & YW Broadcast

I've been busy. Let's see.
I survived the trek fun run. I wasn't nervous that I wouldn't finish in time, but I wanted all my running/hiking to pay off. I was able to finish the 4 miles in 37 minutes. Brian did well, too--I think he finished in 38. I only felt a little bad for beating him. :)

After we finished with that, we came home and got ready, then headed out to our family Easter party. We met at a park near Chandler. We each brought our own lunch, so we ate first, then the kids played--riding their bikes and scooters. Each family brought some sort of game. Brian did Tootie-Tah with the kids, then we did three-legged races. The kids hadn't done that before, so that was fun to watch them try to figure that out. Dan and Chris had bubbles for the kids to do with all sorts of blower things, so that was fun. Then my parents had gotten each grandkid and their dad a small marshmallow shooter. So they had a marshmallow war for a while. They loved that! After they did that for a while, my parents did their traditional "fish pond." That's always a big hit, too! They kids got chocolate bunnies, a shirt and a book. The kids and dads also spent a while hitting the baseball around. We had a fun time!

We left the park and zoomed home. I jumped out of the car, got ready, got everything together and raced to the church. It was the YW broadcast and I was in charge of heading up the refreshments and the recognition of the YW who received their medallion this past year. First for the dessert: I did a "value sundae" bar. I brainstormed one ice cream topping that went with each of the 8 YW value colors.
We had vanilla ice cream and then all the toppings.
Faith (white): whipped cream and sno caps.
Divine Nature (blue): York Peppermint Pieces. They look like M&Ms. They come in a pack that has blue and white, so I had to separate the blue ones out (and eat the white ones).
Individual Worth (red): cherries
Knowledge (green): sixlets
Choice & Accountability (orange): Sprinkles
Good Works (yellow): bananas
Integrity (purple): M&Ms
Virtue (gold): caramel




For the recognition, my friend Leslie found this cute idea to make a bracelet from a spoon. Thanks to her and her husband, we made bracelets for each of the girls who helped out. They turned out so darling. Hanging from the side are some beads along with a Liahona charm and an iron rod charm.



The broadcast was excellent, too. I especially loved Elaine Dalton's talk and President Uchtdorf's talk. Loved them!!!

The night went well, but I was SO glad and relieved when it was over. Now on to the next thing!

Colorado Continued

Yesterday morning started off with me running at the fitness center. It took a lot out of me. The elevation maybe? After coming back to the room and getting ready, Brian headed off to his meeting, then the girls and I went down to the breakfast. We walked around until it was time for them to go to their kids club while I had the spouse meeting. It ended up being a big ordeal!



Right about the time they were supposed to be at their meeting place, we found out they were going to be outside, so we hurried back up to the room and got all their snow gear on, then we went back downstairs. Eliza, Libby and Ellie all went to the same one. They rode the gondola ski lift and played some games at the top and then came back. Hattie and Ruby went to where they have the Kids Vacation Center. Ruby didn't go outside of course, but we just taken care if in their infant room. Hattie played in the preschool room and even got to ride the gondola to the top and back. She was so thrilled about that and hasn't stopped telling us about it!

In the afternoon we watched the little baby while the rest of her family took skiing lessons. A few weeks ago another financial advisor from Kansas called Brian and wondered if we'd be willing to trade babysitting while we each did our ski school. It worked out perfectly. The have three older kids and they just adopted a baby a few weeks ago. She was 5 weeks old and the cutest little thing! My girls couldn't stop touching her curly hair! Brian took the girls to a park to play in the snow for a bit while I watched Ruby and Abree.

For dinner we went to Quiznos. That seriously is one of my favorites right now. They have 2 for $5 and lots of choices to choose from. Brian loves the soup and a "bullet" and I love one of their "sammies" with a chopped salad. After dinner we went back to the room for a movie night that had to end early because the girls were a little wound up. Bummer.


Tuesday:
Eliza and Libby had ski school. Skiing is such a hassle!!! You have get everyone in their snow gear. Then get all the ski stuff--boots, helmet, skis, poles, glasses, etc. Too much work!

They had a great time though. It was 6 hours and they got lunch partway through. They were in different classes but neither of them minded so that was good. I was a little nervous how Libby would be, but she didn't mind. They both did great. When we picked them up at the end, Eliza had been skiing down one of the green hills several times and Libby went up with her to do it a couple times. Brian and I didn't even work up to that hill after our class! Eliza had progressed to level 2 and Libby had gotten to level 3. After lunch, we dropped the three little girls off with the family we traded with and Brian and I went to our class. Skiing sure is awkward. The boots are not comfortable! I told Brian I prefer running that you just put your tennies on and go! But we did okay. I didn't ever fall. I won't say if Brian did or not. We just learned some basics then went down a little practice hill a couple times. It's just hard not feeling like you have much control of yourself. It was fun though and I would like to do it again to get better.

After the lessons, we went back to the room and got ready. One of the John Hancock wholesalers took us to dinner. We went to the Old West Steakhouse. The other family that was supposed to go canceled at the last minute so it was just us and this wholesaler--a single guy about our age. I thought that was funny. The girls did well though and kept him pretty entertained and talked his ear off. The dinner was good--Eliza got her steak she's been wanting! The best part was not having to foot the bill!

Wednesday:
I went running again but didn't try to go as far so I didn't get light headed after. ha ha. Since we had the ski rentals till the end of the day, Eliza and Libby went a few more times. Libby was trying to go to fast and fell a couple times and didn't want to go again, so after Eliza went a few more times, we turned our ski stuff back in. We all took a ride on the gondola up to the very top. I can't believe how high up it went and that people ski from that high and go that fast. We did see two just on our way up being brought down by the ski patrol. I just can't imagine ever being that good to do that! We had lunch in the room, then went for ice cream at Lyon Corner Drug and Soda Fountain.


We ended up going there twice during our stay because the ice cream sundaes were so good! Dinner that night was at a Mexican restaurant--Fiesta Jalisco.

Thursday:
We hung out in the room a lot of the day until the afternoon. That afternoon we took an old, white school bus to Saddleback Ranch for tubing. It was one of the most fun things we did on our trip. We took their "shuttle" to the ranch (an old, white school bus) and then you get a little safety talk and start tubing.

They have a little pulley system that pulls you up the hill on your tube and then you head down. Eliza and Libby got to have their own tube and Ellie and Hattie rode with Brian and me on our tubes. The hills were great and you got going pretty fast!

There was one that you had to go down on your stomach alone, so Brian, Eliza and I all got to do that one. Libby didn't want to, but she did get brave and do the other hill face first several times. We went alone some of the time but did a lot of trains to go even faster. Brian plowed a girl over, which wasn't his fault. In the little safety talk at the beginning they tell you if you are walking it is your responsibility to watch out for the people tubing down the mountain as they can't stop easily. He was coming down with Hattie and there was a girl not paying attention. He yelled to warn her, but she got knocked over. The mom was so mad and even went inside to complain. They told her it wasn't his fault! I was mad they were mad! If she would have come talk to me I would have given her a piece of my mind! We got back in time for dinner at Wendy's and bed.

Friday
On Friday the weather changed! The whole week it was so nice! Snow on the ground but like 60 and 70 degrees. When we took our ski class I even just wore a short sleeved shirt. But on Friday it was in the 20s and totally cloudy/foggy. The slopes were even closed. We went into town for more ice cream and to the grocery store. Dinner that night was a farewell dinner that Jones did, so the food was yummy and there was tons of it.

We started our trek home on Saturday--driving to Monticello again. We stayed the night at the same hotel but this time they were out of cribs. Ugh! So we had to get Ruby to sleep and then place her on the roll-away with pillows all around. I didn't sleep well because I kept getting up to make sure the pillows were there and she hadn't rolled. We had our little breakfast in the morning and went the rest of the way home. Now I have laundry coming out of my ears, but it is good to be home.

Colorado

On Saturday morning we left to drive halfway to our trip to Steamboat Springs. We drove to Monticello for the night then went the rest of the way on Sunday. It was really strange because time just seemed to fly by. We stopped in Flagstaff for lunch. We went in the food court at the mall and made our PB&J sandwiches and had them. We only got a couple stares. LOL.



After that stop it seemed like no time that we were in Monticello. It was a pretty drive through the Painted Desert and Monument Valley.

Monticello was pretty, too. There was a lot of snow on the ground and it snowed a lot in the night so we woke up to a winter wonderland.

We had a nice view of the temple from our room.

On Saturday night we went to dinner at a little mom and pop type restaurant and we drove by the temple.

Bedtime was a little rough with everyone in two small beds, but we managed. In the morning we got up, had a very small "continental" breakfast (cereal or toast) and headed off. Today we drove the rest of the way to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I've never been to Colorado before and it's such a pretty state. The drive went pretty quickly today except for the last couple of hours. We arrived around 4 and got settled into our hotel room.


(view from the room)

Brian totally scored on our room. When we were setting things up for the trip, he called and told them what we needed and we got what looks like a regular room with two queen beds, then off of that is a smaller room with a queen bed. And off of the other side is a large family area room with a huge kitchen table and kitchen and bathroom. There are also two day bed type things that Eliza and Libby are sleeping in. It's perfect. I love these trips through Brian's work. We don't really have to think about too much because most of the logistics are done for us. Tonight we had a welcome dinner, then it was back to the room for baths and bed. Tomorrow I might actually have to brave the snow!

(Welcome Dinner)

Where's Waldo

Last night I had an "out of my comfort zone" night. Chalee and I helped out another ward with their Where's Waldo night. Seriously I was SO embarrassed being in the store. Honestly though other than one kind of strange look I got, no one gave me a second look. Makes you think that when you feel like you look horrible, no one really cares! Do you think I disguised myself enough? Only one group found me without much help. The others needed help. I guess I did a good job. I had Ruby with me but she was "Rudy" for the night. I borrowed some blue clothes and a blanket from Kari and she was a boy for the night.

Ready for a New Week

I am glad to be starting a new week and maybe have things slow down a little bit. This past week was a doozie. Tuesday afternoon, Brian and I went to the temple to go with someone in our ward who was going through. Then on Wednesday I turned around and went again with our YW presidency. Thursday was the grocery store and track practice and Friday night we went to my niece's choir concert for her school. It was a Night at the Movies and they did music from various movies. ...very entertaining. Yesterday it seemed we were gone from sun up to sun down almost. My niece Abby was baptized so we went to that. She had asked me to speak a while back. I gave the talk on baptism. I think it went okay. I did a little object lesson with pennies and you take a well used penny and put it in a solution of vinegar and salt and it cleans it. I likened that to taking the sacrament each week and how we can be just as clean as our baptism day each time we have the sacrament. Then I got Abby and the other little girl who was baptized an unciruclated penny from the year they were born. I put it in a clean coin holder and my friend did "pure" from vinyl and I put that on the front.

After the baptism we went over to my brother's house and had lunch and visited and had a really fun time. From there we went to Cabela's to look for some snow boots. We are trying to find Brian and I snow boots for our upcoming Colorado trip. I think we have everything else but boots for us. No luck there. Ran into Big 5 to check and no luck there. We had chickens on Saturday, so we went and did that. Of course it started pouring rain right when we got there! On the way home, I totally remembered a wedding reception that we were invited to. I couldn't go because I had to help out at the LDS prom, but we grabbed a gift on the way home and Brian braved the reception with all the girls. He said, "We survived the reception and the reception survived us." Ha ha.

Saturday night was the LDS prom. It was our stake's year to host it for a few other stakes. Luckily we were able to call a specialist to be in charge of it and then she had a big committee to help her out. It was amazing. Seriously. When you walked in the cultural hall, you would have thought you were in a different place. It was neat to see all the painting we did (and I only did a little bit) come together. I'll see if I can get some pictures and post them. It looked great. Terri and I were in charge of the crazy booth--just a fun place where the kids could come get some props and have fun, crazy pictures taken--they had the serious, more formal pictures in the cultural hall. It was a great night and I think the kids who went really enjoyed themselves. I was so tired though. The dance was over at 11:30, then we had to clean up. It went fast considering how much there was to do. I got home at 1:30 then I had to make brownies and hot fudge still. As a thank you, we decided to take dinner to the lady who was in charge of the whole thing. My part was dessert, so I made that so I could take it over this morning for deliver. When it was time to wake up this morning, I was NOT ready to get up!!! I need a good a nap to try to catch up from everything!

Hard to Believe

I can't hardly believe that Libby got her ears pierced today. She had mentioned a few times over the past month or so that she wanted it done. She was off and on about talking about it. Lately she has mentioned it a little more. Yesterday we had a babysitter while we went to the temple and we really talked to her about her behavior with the babysitter. She wondered if she did well and was sleeping when we got home (that hasn't happened in a LONG time) if she could get her ears pierced. We didn't give her an answer, but today she was looking forward to getting them pierced (she was asleep when we got home. YAY!). Brian said we'd better strike while the iron is hot! We first stopped at Terri's and she put some "magic cream" (some of Makenzie's numbing cream) on her earlobes so it wouldn't hurt to get it done.

Then we zoomed over to the mall where Eliza had gotten hers done. Libby picked out the earrings she wanted (cute little green flowers in her birthstone), then it was in the chair getting it done.


She did great!!! She didn't even question that she was going to do it--didn't worry or say, "Is it going to hurt" or "I don't want to do it..." It was really fast from start to finish. I think that is her personality though. It might take her a little bit to decide on something, but when she does, there is no going back. That is a great quality to have! She looks so cute with her pierced ears!

Brace Face

And no, I am not talking about any of my kids. It's me! I got braces today. My mouth feels like it's SO full!!! It feels very awkward. Hopefully I'll get used to it. Brian thinks I look 16. Eliza said they "look cute...for braces." Ha ha! I thought maybe no one will really notice. My first stop after I got them on was to drop Ellie off at her little class and her teacher said, "Did you just get braces?!?!" I guess not! Everyone I talked to said something, so there is no hiding it. Tonight they are hurting and I can't eat very well. I am beginning with the end in mind though!! There will be an end and it won't be too long, thank goodness. The process was pretty easy. What hurt the most was the tech taking out my fixed retainer--all that sanding on a sensitive tooth--and having them stretch my lips as far as they could possibly go to put the braces on!!! Ouch!

Primary Activity Day & Track Meet

Saturday was a full day. The girls had a primary activity day in the morning. They did a scripture Olympics where they had different activities that related to things in the scriptures. Each class/team made a banner and then competed in the games. One I saw was the tower of Babel where they had all sorts of boxes and had to see who could build the tallest one. In another they threw folded up socks at each other to represent the stripling warriors. That is all I saw but my girls really enjoyed the activity. They got medals at the end.

The plan was for Eliza to go to the activity and I was going to pick her up early and head to her track meet. So I go to the church to pick her up and we were walking to the car and she seemed a little sad. I said, "Are you ok?" She started crying and said she didn't want to leave. So after talking for a bit, she ended up staying at the activity and we went to the track meet after. She ended up missing the 100m, but she got to do the 200m. I think it was sweet that she wanted to stay at the activity. I was glad she was having so much fun. When we got to the track meet, we waiting about 2.5 hours until her event. Yikes! She did pretty well. She got third in her heat. Her start wasn't the best and I think it threw her off, but oh well! We are trying to convince her to do more events so she has more to do then just sit around for one thing! I think she will next time.

Daddy Daughter Disco Dance

Friday night was the daddy/daughter dance at school. Eliza and Libby dressed up in their disco clothes and Brian put on a funky shirt. I was shocked that Libby wore what she wore. She wore the crazy bottoms--part of a disco Halloween costume. She also wore a peace sign necklace. Eliza wore the full disco get-up. After it was over, they said they had fun! They danced (Libby, too) and they both did the limbo. Brian said Libby did a lot more than he expected--dancing, limbo, hula hoop, letting Brian dance with her and spin her....

3

On Saturday Hattie turned three. She started out with Pop Tarts for breakfast. She was so excited to have those. After eating, on came her Cinderella dress, then we let her open her gifts. We got her a little princess ball, another dress up dress, new pajamas and a regular everyday dress. Ellie gave her a gift, too. I had woken up early to go hiking and Ellie got up as I was leaving. She was headed into her room and I told her it was early and that she ought to go back to bed. She said, "I need to get Hattie's birthday present." Ellie wanted to give Hattie one of her princess books that had paper dolls in it. It was a very special book of Ellie's and she gave it to Hattie. It was so sweet.

That night after dinner, we had a birthday cake for Hattie. I think she is the only person I know who joined in and sang to herself! She loved it.

Track Meet Pictures

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of Eliza's first track meet that was last month. I was looking on the club's website about the upcoming meet and they had a link for results from the last meet. So I clicked on it and discovered that Eliza actually should have been in the finals for the 60m. Somehow her time was recorded incorrectly. She had actually tied for first in all the preliminary heats and should have been in the finals. And based on her prelim time, she easily could have gotten first or second in the entire race. So frustrating! What a bummer. I guess it'll just give her that extra boost that she can do it!

Girls Day Out

On Saturday, some friends and I went out for an all-day girls day out. We started at Last Chance when they opened.

I was happy to go there with time to look around. I got some deals, mostly for my girls. I also found two cute sweater/cardigan things that have some ruffles down the front. I am really into ruffles right now, so it made me happy to find those (as they are the only things I have with ruffles on them! Ha ha!). After Last Chance, we drove in the rain again (loved it!) to Downtown Mesa. We hit eye-candy central: Domestic Bliss. I saw in-person a diaper bag that I would LOVE. Petunia Pickle Bottom has finally come out with a "glazed" fabric that is more user-friendly and will wipe clean. Allison Tyler Jones also happened to be at her studio, so I said hi and she invited us to take a tour of her studio. What fun!

She also took us upstairs to her "inspiration room" and showed us her sister's interior design office/business. Amazing creativity! Some of us had lunch at Mangos and the rest (including me) had Sweet Cakes. From there we went to The Crowded House--a furniture shop affiliated with The Potato Barn. We also hit Designer Blvd., a really fun home decor store that also had some clothes and jewelry. I saw lots of fun ideas! We looked around at Potato Barn before heading to Down East in Chandler. I really wanted one of their skirts but I refrained. They have such cute designs! We went to a jean party followed by dinner at Cafe Rio.

I think we were all really tired as we sat at dinner for probably an hour at least before heading home around 10:30.

Field Trip & Cast

Friday was a full day. I went on a field trip with Libby to the zoo, but Ellie also had an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. Brian had planned to stay home with the girls while I was on the field trip, but now he got doctor duty! The appointment went really well though and she got her pink cast. Brian said the casting was really easy and fast. Ellie has done really well with her cast except she doesn't like people to look at it. She tries to hide it behind her back or with her sleeve.

My field trip with Libby was a lot of fun. The weather was PERFECT! Couldn't have been better. In my group I just had Libby and one little boy from her class. He was cute little kid. Walking around the zoo was fun and seeing their reaction to things made me laugh. Libby takes after me and didn't pet the sting rays. And at the petting zoo, she stayed in between the two gates and never actually went in!

She did feed the giraffes though, being careful not to actually touch their long tongues.



When we got back to the school, I took Eliza and Libby out of school early. Brian had to see a client up in Cottonwood so we went along for the ride. After his appointment we went to Bing's Burger Station for dinner. It was a cute little Burger shop. The food was yum! We had burger and fries and finished off the night with shakes.

Before we left for Cottonwood, Hattie had her birthday sleepover with my parents. Her b-day is this Saturday, but this weekend worked out better to have her sleepover. She had been so excited about it and has talked about it forever. Whenever we would be out and about, she would say, "I want that for my birthday." That afternoon they went shopping and she picked out dress up clothes--a dream for her! She got a new Cinderella dress, shoes, crown and a Cinderella Barbie. She has worn the outfit more than she hasn't since she got it. Basically she only changes to eat or go on an errand. She even has slept in it. And she wore the shoes to church (I forgot to have her change) and to the store. When night time came, she wanted to be home, so my parents brought her home to sleep. She was so excited, it seemed, to show off her treasures with her sisters!

Poor Ellie

Today we had our first experience with a broken anything...This morning started innocently enough with a run with some friends. I got the girls off to school and my friend brought her little boy over to play while she ran some errands. The kids were playing out back on the swingset. I heard Ellie start crying, which is not unheard of. I went out there and she was still on the ground and was holding her arm. I brought her in, put ice on it and "monitored" it for a little bit. I tried to busy myself with something but watched her out of the corner of my eye to see if she would forget and use it. I figured that would tell me if it was just hurt or if it was something more. She kept it close to her side and wouldn't move it. If I touched it, she would wince and say it hurt. After a quick call to my dr., we went to the urgent care. She has a buckle fracture on her radius and ulna. They put a partial cast on and they'll do a regular cast in about 3-5 days. She was a trooper though and did great with the x-rays and all. Poor girl!!

Randoms

Thank goodness for a tax return. We are finally doing a bunch of things that we've just always put off and off and off. Like getting the carpets cleaned. We had them done today and they look so good. Tomorrow the water people come to service the reverse osmosis thing and water softener.

Gymnastics is going well for Libby. She is loving it and learning new things each time. She loves to practice at home, too. Last night she did a "bridge up, kick over" for the first time. She was pretty excited.

Track is going well for Eliza. She got a ribbon at practice today from her first meet a couple of weeks ago...she got 6th overall in the 200m.

Monday was a day off from school. Brian left early to go up to the snow with the youth in the ward. We hung out at home. Eliza and Libby had a play date. When Brian got home, I went for a run. I want to be ready for the "fun run" to get ready for the trek. I was able to go 4 miles and I did it in just under 40 minutes. I thought it was good considering there was a big hill on the way back. Speaking of the trek... We had a trek fireside a week or so ago. I haven't been too excited, but as I get my clothes together, I am getting more and more excited. I just wish my girls could come with me.

I think that is all floating around in my head that I wanted to write down.

Already?

This morning I gave Hattie her sippy cup of milk and a couple minutes later she said, "But it'll mess up my lipstick." (she had put some lip gloss on this morning).

That Bad?

Eliza has a field trip coming up, so I asked if she wanted someone to go with her. Here is how our conversation went:

Me: Eliza, who do you want to go with you on your field trip?
Eliza: Grandpa
Me: I don't think that will work because he hasn't been to one of the volunteer trainings.
Eliza: Oh.
Me: Do you want Dad or me to go?
E: I want Dad.
Me: Ok. (matter of fact-ly) He went with you last time you went to the Botanical Garden.
E: That's right. Well, I want you to come. (PAUSE). But I am picking out what you wear.


Ha ha ha! I know what she thinks of my style (or lack thereof)!!

Valentine's Day

For Valentine's day this year, we celebrated the day before--Saturday. Brian and I went to a fireside they had for couples, then we went out to dinner. The fireside was interesting. I didn't quite get the speaker, but the song that was sung at the beginning was really good. A lady in my ward sang, "He Thought He Knew What Love Was." After it was over, Brian spoiled me and took me to The Melting Pot. There is a new one open in Glendale, so it's nice we didn't have to drive so far. It was a special Valentine's dinner--we had four courses...a cheese dip appetizer, salads, meat entree and dessert. It is all very tasty and was a nice dinner with Brian. When we left we got a little gift bag with a frame (they took our picture), a bottle of one of their seasonings, mints, and a chocolate fondue bar. It was a nice Valentine's day with my Valentine.

On Sunday, we gave the girls their own little box of conversation hearts and they had fun reading them and eating them before breakfast and church. I got Brian some dress shirts, ties and a belt. Romantic! It was stuff he needed, so he was excited. At church we had our ward conference. It was good timing as our stake theme this year--and the theme of our conference--was Love one Another. I went to young women's during the last hour for our last ward conference of the year. Ellie had the talk in primary and did a great job. I was a little worried she would get scared or something and not do it, but she did great. She even spoke loudly. She was cute. After church we went to my parents' house for dinner. Brian ended up staying home with Libby. Man it's hard to have to follow through with consequences. But hopefully it'll make a difference. We had haystacks over there with ice cream sundaes for dessert. My mom had made the kids a Valentine gift--the cutest pink print pillow cases. Ruby got the same fabric but as a blanket. The boys got a baseball print. It was fun.

By Popular Demand

First here is a link to that download for the Hershey Nugget bars. To make it more difficult for myself, I saved it as a .jpeg and then brought it up in my Photoshop, they put "from: Eliza" and "from: Libby" on them. I fiddled with it a bit, but it still printed a little off on my labels. It ended up being okay though because it just looked like there was a stripe down one side of the label. It looked cute actually. I hand wrote who it was to. If you wanted, you could type each name on a label. But I thought it was fast and cute and easy.

And secondly, all four people who read my blog wanted to see a picture of my hair. So here you go. Ellie was my photographer.... A big change!