Easter with cousins

3 generations

 After a fabulous lunch, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Dallin were ready to begin the most wonderful of all Easter Egg Hunts.  The kids were quarantined downstairs while everything was prepared, then Sarah gave them their instructions.  The bunny had left a pile of jelly beans in the middle of the floor and then left a trail to each child's basket.

Each basket contained one egg, a different color for each child.  That egg was the color they were to look for outside.  And they weren't to stop hunting until they had found 15 eggs.  And the hunt began.

Inside one of their eggs was a clue directing them to a golden egg.  The eggs were full of candy, money, stickers, barrettes, squinkies, fingernail polish, toy cars.  It was a haul!  The kids absolutely loved.  They have never had an Easter egg hunt so epic and entertaining.  THANK YOU Sarah and Dallin!

And then Ster insisted he take a picture of my mom and I because we are never in any pictures.  We usually behind the camera, not in front of it.  So to appease my husband, here is the picture.  I'm actually quite happy with how it turned out.

Cul-de-sac Easter

 Here are a few pics from the cul-de-sac easter egg hunt.  This is one my favorite neighborhood traditions.  Usually we go from house to house, and we have to stop at each house for directions (how many eggs, etc) and its a lot of fun.  This year, we said big kids in backyards, young kids in front yards and then we just let them go.  It was fun and less monitering of everyone.  But I did miss talking with all the other parents.  When we had to stop at each house, we were all clumped together for the most part.  This time, everyone was spread out.  There wasn't a lot of interaction with the other parents or even with my older kids, for that matter. But it was still fun.

Sweet Miss Edna

Here are the boys on our back wall, checking out their booty.

Saturday night stream of consciousness

There is a mess everywhere I look. The kitchen is full of breakfast and lunch dishes. An old newspaper. Shopping lists and coupons on the counter. Left over easter candy, plastic eggs and trinkets are still covering the carpet and table. Even more toys on counters, tables and the floor. And dirty socks, inside out in a stinky ball, always mismatched, never a pair. A coat, a half-drunk bottle of stinky formula. Every corner holds more misplaced items.

Down the hallway, the bathroom is the same story. It’s a mess from the whirlwind of 5 children hurricaning through bathtime.

In my bedroom are piles. Piles on the bed, under the bed and beside the bed. In the corner and on the cedar chests. Piles of random stuff. Laundry baskets are full of clean, folded clothing, (Yay for me) but they haven’t been put away yet. So instead of putting dirty clothes in the baskets, we’re trying to find our clean clothes in the baskets, which is only making a bigger. And why don’t I just put them away? Oh, just busy. Out of sight, out of mind, tucked away in my bedroom. And now the kids are trying to get to sleep so I don’t want to wake them. And by the time it would be convenient, I’m just too tired.

I really need to finish my talk for Easter Sunday, 9 am bright and early. Its 9 pm right now. I’ve got 12 hours to pull all the thoughts in my head together. I also probably ought to think about thawing out some meat because I have 15 mouths to feed after church. Did I the mention the house is a disaster? I should probably also go through my primary lesson, so I know which scriptures to read and which ones to summarize, etc. I hope my primary class musical number goes off ok in Sacrament meeting. Bless their hearts for singing for me.

Its just so hard to focus when the house is messy and yet, I’m just too gosh darn tired to clean it. And its easter in the morning. We didn’t produce an Easter Bunny visit on today (Saturday) so it will have to be Sunday morning. GASP! Secular celebration on a Sabbath morning? Somebody alert the Bishop. Actually, the Bishop has already witnessed my children praying multiple times for the Easter Bunny already, so no secrets there. At this point, I’m surprised they didn’t actually pray TO the Easter Bunny. Who is a woman by the way. Mrs. Bunny, to you. I’m tired of all the male holiday figures. So I guess I’ll be getting up early to fill easter eggs, right before I finish my primary lesson and my sacrament meeting talk and start 15 chicken breasts marinading in the frigde.

And then there’s the kids…

the Art Show

 The Stake Art Show was wonderful.  I was blown away by the talent in the stake.  Watercolors, oil, charcoal, pencil, crayon, sculpture, cross-stitch, photography, multi-media.  And I know it was only a small sampling.  I know we have even more talent hidden that didn't submit anything.  Its just humbling to see all the gifts that surround me.

Mostly I was impressed with Camille. She is a talented artist herself.  She is so detailed in her coloring and color choice.  She has begun blending colors and has started drawing her own ideas (as opposed to coloring books).  I'm so proud of her and hope she continues to share her talent with us.  It is such a sweet expression of the beauty of her spirit.

facial hair?

Look who's sporting a new goatee.

Spring Break - Monticello-Thursday

Ster has been traveling the state a lot recently, reporting on the legislative session to various counties.  Thursday night he had to be in the booming town of Monticello.  But he had to be back in Sandy by lunchtime on Friday.  A quick overnighter.  We decided to take to the road as a family and keep Sterling company.  It only takes about 4 hours to get there, but we left right after breakfast so we could make a few stops along the way. 

Stop #1.  We actually had a nice lunch at a random Mexican restuarant in Green River.  Just a big white building.  I don't even remember a name on the outside, just an "OPEN" sign in the window.  We didn't order anything on the menu.  We just asked if they could make what we wanted, they said yes, and we were in business.  The waitress was very nice (probably mid 50s?).  Ster had to step outside to take a phone call (couldn't hear over the mexican music) and most of the kids were finishing up but I was still trying to eat and juggle Bryce at the same time.  She came over and said, "I hold baby?  OK?  You eat?  OK?"  And we were in business again.  As soon as he was handed over, Bryce laid his head on her shoulder and she carried him all over the restuarant while I finished my meal.  (Big Tip for this one. :)). 

Stop #2.  Next we stopped at Arches National Park.  We had exactly 2 hours before we had to be on the road again.  And the hike to Delicate Arch took us exactly 2 hours (there and back, 3 mile round trip).  We weren't planning on going to Arches but as we passed by we decided it would be fun.  Except we didn't have a baby backpack with us, so we had to carry Bryce the whole way and Rachel part of the way.  But don't fret, because I have a massively muscular and strong husband.  REMEMBER?

Ster, Parker and Rachel under the arch.  The rest of us were too scared.

 Stop #3.  Our last stop was the Monticello Temple, walking distance from our hotel.  But we didn't walk because the wind was Howling.  (Yes, a capital H).  When will we ever be in Monticello to see the temple again.  When?  I ask you.  I especially like how we are standing directly in front of the sign so we will probably forget where this picture is someday.  Sterling asked if I thought we should move, but I said no because I didn't want to reorganize ourselves after we shifted. (moms, you know what I'm talking about)  And I didn't want to take up our picture-taker's time.  The picture-taker whom Sterling stopped as he was driving down the street.  Ster just walked into the middle of the road and flagged him down and asked him to take our picture.  And lo and behold, it was a state Senator who was in town for the same meeting Ster was and was just doing a drive-by of the temple himself.  Crazy world.  Can we go nowhere where Ster doesn't know someone?

The rest of the evening was not as fun because I was alone with 5 kids in a 2 bed hotel room with subway sandwiches.  Crumbs EVERYWHERE!  No one wanted to sleep, especially the baby, who really really really needed to sleep. 
What?  Would you mind repeating that please?  Oh, how do you sleep 5 kids and 2 adults in a 2 bed hotel room, you ask?  Well, usually we ask for a playpen at the front desk and they are happy to oblige (since we don't have one of our own) but this hotel didn't have one.  Remember, we're in Monticello.  We asked for extra blankets and pillows.  Bryce slept on the floor on one side of my bed, Parker slept on the floor on the other side of my bed.  Between my bed and the girls' bed.  The girls, all 3 of them, shared their double bed, length-wise, or is it width-wise?  Mill where the pillows go, Rach were the feet go and Syd in the middle.  Just a little untucking here and there and retucking somewhere else and it works like a charm. 

6:15am wake-up time and a limited (they didn't even have donuts!!!) continental breakfast and we were back on the road home.  We got home just in time for lunch.  Are we crazy?  Yes, but that is a given.  We already knew that. 

Spring Break - Logan

We drove up north, to Logan, to visit Sarah and Dallin while Ster was in meetings.  It was soooo much fun to see Sar&Dal.  We arrived over an hour early so we walked through Willow Park Zoo before lunch.  Its a fun little zoo with lots of different kinds of birds, a couple of bald eagles, a golden eagle, porcupines, tons of pheasants, tons of ducks, swan, geese, pelican, owls, peacocks, elk, fallow deer, coyotes, bobcats, crane.  Quite a variety for a small little city zoo.  The kids loved it.

Mostly, I just enjoyed watching this little beauty walk around.

And then...we had lunch with Sarah and Dallin, afterwhich they took us back to their place and we checked out their spacious living quarters (just kidding, not so spacious, BUT beautifully decorated and welcoming none the less.)  It was there that my kids had their first taste of xbox KINECT.  AWESOME (in a sing-songy voice).  I tried to steal pics from Sarah's blog but I was "disabled."  (What is up with that Sar?)  And across the street was a huge "discovery" type park we played on.  (Tried to steal pics again, but again, disabled.  bah!)

After hugs and loves, we left the college couple to coursework and swing-shift work and we met back up with Sterling.  Predictably, he took us to get some Aggie Ice Cream.  Delish. Of course.  Then home again, home again, jiggety jig. 

We love you Sarah and Dallin!!!!

Spring Break - Salt Lake City

I love downtown Salt Lake City.  I think its beautiful and full of fun and interesting things to do and see.  So for our first day of spring break, that's where we went.  We rode Trax all the way in and met Grandma at the Museum of Church History and Art. Boy, could I spend an afternoon there.  They have some really neat exhibits throughout the museum.  That just wasn't feasible with the children.  We spent the morning in the new children's exhibit, based on the Book of Mormon and latin-America.  It was really fun for the kids and I think we'll probably go back sometime.  There was a lot more to the exhibit, but these are the only pictures I took. 



Sydney, holding up her "temple".



The exhibit had a cool interactive dance area, where they mimic a traditional latin-American dancer. (Did I say that politically correct?)

Rachel feeding the missionaries.  This was her favorite part, by far!

After the museum, we went to Temple Square, mostly to see the cross-section display of the temple.  It was cool.  I mean, I'm sure there's a lot not shown, but the detail of it all was really cool to look at.  I never know exactly where I am when I'm in the temple.  And the kids enjoyed the fountain, a little too much.

Book Review- The Hero and the Crown

I remember reading “The Hero and The Crown” by Robin McKinnley, as a young girl, pre-teen if I remember correctly. I loved it. I loved it because it could have been about me. . .if I lived in a place where magic was real and dragons harassed neighboring villages. Which I did not. These things I did not have in common with Aerin, the young misfit daughter of the King of Daria.

But I did live in a place where I sometimes felt out of place, where other girls my age were sometimes mean and I desperately wanted to know that I was something or someone of value. These things I did have in common with Aerin.

And so I guess such things may be common to all young girls, which makes Aerin a relatable and enjoyable character. She is self-conscious and insecure, yet inquisitive enough to be determined to find answers to her questions. This determination leads her on an adventure of self-discovery as we see her come to know herself better as she discovers her destiny and rises up to face what fate demands of her.

The relationships between characters throughout the book were heart felt. Aerin’s father was well-drawn by McKinnley, as was the young girl’s antagonist at home, Galanna, full of jealousy and petty pranks. Tor, as the love interest, was strong and full of heart and heroism. And Luthe, well, I’m still figuring him out but I must admit, I rather enjoyed his relationship with Aerin as well.

The action scenes were well-written but at the same time, they sort of came upon me unawares. I always felt like I was surprised we were already at the climax of a certain adventure. And at times, I was confused by some of the magic (time-travel, mages, etc.) But I was not disappointed in the end. It was a grand adventure.

I would have to say that the highlight of the book for me was the coming of age of Aerin. Her discovery of finding what she is good at and then embracing it, even though it is against the common opinion of the society she lives in. I loved seeing her grow and understand and mature into the role her destiny required of her.

As a young girl, I loved the idea of doing something no one had done before. Nowadays, even as a grown woman, it seems like I’m always watching what other people are doing or what they expect of me. What kind of mother, wife, sister, friend, should I be? Well, if I follow Aerin’s lead, as I hoped to when I was young, I might turn out to be someone marvelous, that I never knew I was

cute little thing

When did this cute little thing ....

...become this cute little thing?

On a good day....

On a good day:

"Welcome home from school, my precious little darlings." {kisses}

On a bad day:

" I hope there's some left for you..." :P

April Fools

This morning I was prepared. I was prepared with plastic spiders left over from Halloween and a fun April Fools idea. I stealithy buried a spider in everyone's tall, delicious glass of Orange Julius. Imagine their surprise when they felt something with legs, 8 of them to be exact, in their drink. Well.... it flopped. Sterling was the first one to find it and he UNDER- reacted. Then everyone else's found their spider, with hardly a giggle or roll of the eyes, and placed it by the side of their plate and continued on with breakfast. Well, with that miserable attempt behind me, I persevered and prepared for my after school trick. I made "French Fries & Ketchup" a la sugar coated croissant strips & strawberry jam. (idea here) Parker wasn't too sure about it. Look at his face. :) Sydney thought they were great. In fact, she was the ONLY one who thought they were great. So maybe another semi-flop. But I will not be dissuaded. One day, maybe not this year. Maybe not next year. But one day, I will find a trick that will be satisfactory, both as a trick AND as a treat. Oh wait....wrong holiday?