Favorite spring thing...

I think it was best said by Mark Twain--

"It is not a small thing when they who are so fresh from

God love us..."

remember this post?  and even this one?

Miracles never cease--baby Mia is home with her mama for the first night.  Two weeks ago  Becki and Ethan left Utah (and hard working medical resident Jeremy) for a simple visit home.  Little did they all know that they would return home a mere two weeks later with their lives completely changed!  Amelia was born eight weeks early but she hasn't let that stop her sweet and courageous spirit!  So many miracles and "coincidences" remind us who is really in charge.  Jeremy can't wait to get everyone home to Utah.  Mia is growing and learning to keep breathing while sitting up in a car seat long enough to make the trip home.  

Spring swing

We are happy around here.  The warm weather is waking us all up!

Swirling and Twirling--one of the best things about spring!

Dallin and Landon are busy with basketball.  

Rustin is swamped with work and church...and making a game out of chore time for the kids.

Who can build the tallest pile and then who can put it away the fastest?  The loser does up-downs.  I don't know why but the kids think it's hilarious...

And I just have to throw this picture in...

I hate to say I told you so but---HOLD STILL!

A bit of mascara made this hair cut fit for church on Sunday---but seriously...

Can anyone tell who this is without me telling?

I should be paying myself.  Six hair cuts (including my dad but of course his hair cuts are 'free'--like he hasn't paid for them a thousand times over!) every six weeks.  Ten dollars a hair cut (right?)... That's roughly 52 haircuts a year--hmmmm...

Blooming

I think there is finally light on the horizon. I mean that literally. It seems the weeks have been trudging by with lightening speed.  Meaning that I am usually behind before I even realize that I'm supposed to be doing something.  But, the sun is showing itself in the morning and the flowers are peeking their little heads so it feels like everything is beautiful.

Here are some of the basics from the last few weeks.

Dallin and Landon had their first band concert. 136 beginning band students on the stage at one time. It was shockingly good! We were very impressed and Landon declared that it was the most fun thing he has done in middle school.

Austin finally finished all his outstanding homework which brought his grades up to straight A's. (we won't mention what they were without the missing assignments...)  We are determined to keep organized this quarter. This is not exactly my or Austin's strong point so I'm sure this will be a worthy goal for both of us!

I am dreaming of a chicken coop.  Don't tell my neighbors.

Benson can do endless flips on the trampoline.  He has a couple of bloody lips and loose tooth (not kidding...) to prove it.  

I can do flips on skis (not only lost my skis but my boot as well...).  Oh yes it was beautiful.  With three 12-year-olds to witness my perfect gracefulness I don't think I will soon forget the worst crash I have ever had.

Jenna is halfway through book one of Suzuki violin and I finished book two a couple of weeks ago.  I am surprised at how much I enjoy learning a new instrument.  It isn't nearly as hard as learning the first instrument (piano) was--I wonder if it's like learning a foreign language?  I hear the the third language is easier than the second. Maybe Spanish is on my horizon. 

Rustin is finally sleeping through the night again after a long (almost 4 weeks) and painful bout with an extremely stubborn virus that causes uncontrollable coughing --(still coughing all day long--ugg).  Of course that is just in time for Austin and Benson to pick it up so I am still awake at midnight tonight...

 Jenna picked daffodils and put them in a vase on the table tonight.  I am so thankful to see spring!

The reason we need a king sized bed...

No one wanted to be left out so...we watched short track skating from the soft seats!  We will miss the Olympics.

I think we have all grown accustomed to tight sleeping quarters or something.  This is how I found the boys Saturday night. (all four on one top bunk)(and yes, they are watching Landon play DS) 

Back when my dad and I were making these beds, Dad insisted that we needed to use these very awkward (and super sturdy) bolts that took hours of practice to finally assemble correctly.

It's a good think we did.  No Shopko beds could hold up to this...

 

I don't think the kids are accustomed to having much private space.  It has been like that since the days when Dallin and Landon would climb into each others cribs. 

Austin and Benson shared a bed until we finished these bunk beds a few months ago.  They still have "sleepovers" where Benson gets in Austin's bed for the night.  (because you know, five feet separating beds is sooo far away...)

Jenna slept on the floor of the boys room for a month or so because she said it was no fair that she didn't have anyone to talk to.  See!--who needs a bigger house!  It's funny what is tolerable--it all depends on what you're used to. 

Luge 2010

Franklin, Idaho is a close runner up for the 2014 winter olympics we are sure. At least we found the perfect sledding run. We had 8 runner sleds and a mile long perfectly sloped snow-covered road up in the hills out of the way of everything.  It snowed like crazy and it was a blast.

I didn't get enough pictures (as usual). 

Benson and I tried to film a run down the mountain but the camera was upside down half the time and then we found that it seriously took two hands and all my skill to keep us moving down the hill and out of the snowdrifts--and I know we weren't anywhere near 90 mph!

I used to think luge or sledding events seemed easy but that fallacy has been laid to rest for sure!

Found it!

It has definately been one of those weeks.

I'm sure we all know what I'm talking about.

I forgot to send Landon's lunch money check so many times that the school actually mailed me a 'free and reduced price lunch' application.

I sent Austin to school with his invention convention project only to find out that the due date and judging were finished the day before.

A certain couple of my children (they will remain unnamed...) came home with mid-term report cards riddled with missing homework assignments (most of which turned out to be in their binders...).  Hmmm, I wonder where the organizational handicap came from?

I intended to post some pictures of our President's Day weekend but I haven't been able to find my camera or purse all week.  I wasn't terribly worried because I had my wallet and there really isn't anything of value in my purse...  It turns out both (purse and camera) were in the pile of winter clothes (from the previously mentioned fun President's Day weekend) next to the washer that didn't get sorted until an hour ago when Landon desperately searched through everything to find his snowboarding gloves.  They were found, but unfortunately they spent the week in a damp pile of coats and they smell like a wet dog.  So...in an attempt to compensate for my poorly organized week (will I regret weeks like this in my old age?  that is one of my biggest fears...), I am sitting up waiting for the wash cycle to finish on the washer so I can put the gloves in the dryer and Landon can go snowboarding tomorrow with his clean-smelling gloves. 

As far as physical organization around here we are actually doing pretty well.  We have a good system with the kids rooms going.  I must say that I love the hangers from Costco that are black and kind of velvety.  Awesome.  Since the four boys share a room, we have to be very particular about what gets to stay in the room.  

Each boy  has two big totes that fit under the bunk beds.  (I need to take a picture of that project one of these days.) And each boy also gets one drawer (in the only dresser that fits in the room) to keep his own stuff.  Or course it only takes ONE day of someone throwing clothes on the floor and the room is {trashed} as Landon would say.  But it doesn't take long to pick up.  Everyone has been doing great getting homework done (turned in??) and getting instruments practiced as long as I hold the controls of the Wii hostage until it is all done.  Amazing what a little bribe will do.

I would definately say that the organizational issues are mostly in my head.  I don't mean I'm exaggerating them, I mean that I can keep physical things around me fairly organized (except for socks) but I cannot keep my kids and all the activities and deadlines and motherly chores organized.  ugg.

Thankfully I have friends who understand me and call regularly to remind me and give me ten minute warnings when it is time for things like birthday parties, scouts or my week to teach in Relief Society.  Really, I would be lost without Brittany's scheduling reminders for me.  I'll have to remind her to remind me to say thanks sometime!   

Random Sunday...

Did you know that baboons eat gazelles?

Or that the Sperm whale dives to the very bottom of the ocean and eats giant squid?

We must thank National Geographic for this exciting Sunday of trivia.

Dallin stumped Rustin (first time ever?!) in our family-invented children-need-an-activity-that-doesn't-involve-wrestling, church trivia game--

Q: Did Martin Harris believe the church was true.

A: Yes, he did.

"WRONG!" Dallin announced with a smirk.

Correct answer:  He didn't believe, he "knew" the church was true. 
That little tidbit was picked up from the youth trip last summer to the pageant "Martin Harris:  the man who knew."  Those who knew him at the end of his life wrote that Martin Harris told everyone around him the he didn't believe the church was true, he knew it. 

Smarty pants.

We found some really old home movies from Tennessee.  We made some caramel corn so we could properly enjoy them. They were hilarious to watch.  We realized that we have lived entire chunks of our lives that seemed totally important at the time that we don't even remember now.  What a strange thought.  I wonder what we won't remember from today...

And after much trial and error I have found my favorite Sunday morning muffin recipe that doesn't require pumpkin or applesause (which I may or may not have on hand...).

Cinnamon Spice muffins

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated!!)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

1/3 c. margarine melted

1 egg

on top:

1/2 cup sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix the dry stuff and then add the wet stuff.  stir just until combined.  I  used my brand new pampered chef 3 oz. scoop to measure the batter into muffin pans and they were perfect.  Sprinkle about 1 tsp of cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of each muffin before baking.

Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes.  Or in a convection oven--375 for 13-14 minutes.`

 I double this recipe.  And just in case you're wondering, if you accidentally add twice the amount of sugar called for and don't realize it (of course we are never distracted on Sunday mornings...) until too late, the muffins are still great.