Piano Recital

How cute are my Mom and Dad?

I know, SUPER cute.

And, how great is Darin for loading all the kids up to go to M's recital?

I KNOW! He's SUPER great.

This little guy is SUPER CUTE as well.

Can you see the Grandpa resemblance?

Ballet Promotion

Waaay back before I got sick (should I refer to that time as BP, as in before pneumonia, and all things now AP?) M had her Ballet Promotion. They put on their play back in February so this is just an end of year review of what they learned. I had to run after Soren most of the time, but was there when her teacher pointed out her very flexible ankles and lovely feet. Like most girls her age, M loves to perform but doesn't love the bar work.

Miriam wants to be in toe shoes so bad she can taste it! I have no plans or aspirations for Miriam as a dancer, I just want her to stay in long enough to learn how to walk into a crowded room with grace. I want her to feel comfortable in her curvy little body and know how to suck in that stinger!

*I have to thank my own mother for slapping my behind every now and again saying "suck it in honey".

Back post - Joy School

The day before I was hit with a flu semi truck we hosted Joy School.

Our theme was Healthy Bodies

First we had to review our number of the day (we finished the alphabet) which was 10.

So we traced our hands and numbered the fingers to 10.

Then we read The Busy Body Book which is a fantastic introduction to how the body works and what it needs to be healthy.

We stopped after the bones part and sang "I'm all Made of Hinges" and felt the bones in our elbows and knees.

We stopped after the muscle part to do some push ups and feel the muscles under our skin.

We stopped after the circulatory part to run around to music and then feel our hearts beating.

We ended with the digestion part and stopped for our healthy snack of apples celery and peanut butter.

Then we went outside to draw our healthy chalk bodies.

I traced everyone and they added the details, including their hearts and lungs.

I was going to play some soccer with the crew but they wanted to play on their own so this was an EASY one. I didn't have to buy or make anything!!

I have loved doing Joy School this year. It was all easy and breasy, the moms were great, the kids for the most part, got along. I feel like it created a net of safety for Byron, he has 3 other Moms who live so close that he would feel comfortable asking for help or going to with a problem. He also got a different teaching style and learning emphasis from each Mom. Jamie was so good to play lots of games, Stacie introduced lots of culture, Kim did the cutest crafts!

THANKS STACIE JAMIE and KIM!

Memorial Day 2011

These pictures reminded me that I forgot to go back before June 6th to pick up the flowers we brought. They throw them all away, unless some Relief Society president goes to get them to use at an activity. If you ever need flowers the week after Memorial Day go to a cemetery....they are going to throw them all away anyway!

It's a tradition, go visit the graves and then stop by the park.

Looking at these pictures reminds me how good I felt just a week or so ago.

Two days later I came down with a horrible flu.

5 days.....did you get that?

5 DAYS of body chills, 103 temps, severe all over body aches, pounding and swooshing in my ear drums.

I have never been sick so long in my life. I haven't had the flu for over 4 years, and never had it for longer than 3 days.

And then.....just when I had purged myself and thought it was over, I got pneumonia.

PNEUMONIA!!!

What is wrong with the world when I, Mrs. Hardly Ever Sick gets pneumonia in June?

You should see the state my house is in, and my moral was worse. Thats why I am now at my Mom's house trying to rest where the clutter isn't mine to pick up, and the kids are running wild with cousins.

I've got to lick this thing by Monday.

Thats when Summer really begins and I don't have time for pneumonia.

Norma's 90

Norma is my last living connection with my paternal Grandpa. I am sure there are other relatives out there, but as far as relatives I would recognize on the street, she is my last. Norma is my Grandpa's only sister-in-law. We met at his funeral and have been Christmas card friends ever since.

She is a sweet woman with lots of spunk. She was a professional working woman back when that was the exception rather than the rule.

(I love using my kids as a "picture shield")

The kids played happily in a strangers backyard all afternoon!

(the party was thrown by the other side of the family)

Life is so busy it's hard to get to these little events, but I have never regretted taking time to make connections with my family history. The regret always come from doing less.

Last Day of School!

I had such plans for this day. A tie-dye party, snow cones, maybe a banner to run through....

but I have had the longest 4 days of my life. I have been knocked on my kiester by a flu virus. Right this minute Miriam is playing in her piano recital and I am home with a pounding headache and the sound of my heartbeat swooshing in my ear drums. I can't wait to get back to normal....to clean my house....to feel happy again.

The boys stayed just like this all day long.

Miriam worked really hard writing an 8 chapter book for her teacher with these fairy illustrations. She has adored her teacher this year, she is going to miss her dearly.

This picture is for Julia. The "hair bow". This post took me waaaay to long to write and made my headache worse this is as good as it gets.

Quick Update

Classic Ren faces.

I want these engrained in my memory forever.

What a blondie he is!

A Bub funny:

Background - Bub slapped Miriam. Now, Miriam sometimes deserves to be slapped, but this particular time I think Bub just wanted to slap someone. He kissed her cheek right afterwards (too little too late, M never holds back on the drama). After a discussion about whether or not it would be right to let M slap him back, the decision to do a time out, and a confession to Dad about his behavior he said the following:

"I am really good at kicking and punching.

But, I can't use my talents because Jesus Christ is watching"

Thank heavens he isn't blaming me!

Heart of a Hero Party

Dex The Heart of a Hero by Caralyn Buehner is one of Bub's favorite books.

We based his party on this story with a few comic book characters thrown in.

So of course we read the book.

We finished our hero attire by painting masks.

{The two party helpers}

The whole crazy crew

We moved on to Hero Training.....

We were rewarded with cake and ice cream.

Played "Heavy Heavy Hang Over"

Everyone went home with candy, tiny ninjas, paratroopers, and comic hero silly bands. If the girls were disappointed in the loot, it didn't show.

Guests went home but the party didn't stop because the little Superman pictured above invited Bub over for a play date up until the time Dad came home!

Which brings us to Bub's choice for birthday dinner....

We stopped by In -N-Out before we picked up the happy meals for the kids and then drove to a park so Bub could try out his new toy.

Thats a darn good birthday. It's good to be 4

An interview with the 4 year old:

What makes you happy?

Ummm when my friends do silly stuff.

Who are your friends?

Livie, Kennie, and Fielding and others like Ashor, Nadalie, she is the one who threw sand in my eyes...wemembor mom? And Sophie but she hardly plays with me.

What makes you sad?

When my friends hit me or kick me

What is our favorite food?

Ummm macaroni and cheese and just dino nuggets and chocoate chips!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Cowboy! In the desert! Cowboy who lives in the desert desert desert with lizards and camels camels camels...horses get bit from snakes!

What is your favorite book?

Dex the Heart of a Hero and Bob and Brian

Where is your favorite place to go?

The places my cousins go.

How can you not adore that boy??

Super Hero Details

Super Invitations

I used my turn to teach Joy School to hold Bub's party.

Turning 4 years old, 3 set party guests making 4 kids total, easy peasy (lemon squeesie). My mom told me to keep the guest number to the child's age years ago, but I have never taken her advice until now.

It's a golden nugget of sanity saving wisdom.

Super 4 year old birthday shirt.

Same motif as Soren's but fabric paint and freezer paper rather than embroidered felt.

4 years old is big boy territory...felt just wasn't going to cut it!

Super Cake

Hershey's classic chocolate cake (on the cocoa powder box) with classic chocolate frosting....only I added a heaping scoop of peanut butter to the frosting which made it perfect for our family palate.

Big thanks to Marcus for the toys!

Super expensive $20 pinata

(darn that Zurchers!! Highway robbery!)

The kids had so much fun whacking it I need to let it go.

Sorry Darin....I had to do it

34 Reasons I adore my husband

1. He unclogs some disgusting sinks around here!

2. He has been bringing me flowers on our kids birthdays since Miriam's first birthday. (Bub's flowers are outside waiting to be planted)

3. He is a builder. He doesn't enjoy speaking negatively about people or things. He wants to discuss solutions.

4. He is a problem solver. Check out at the bike seat he rigg

ed up for Soren.

5. Large puppy dog eyes with long eye lashes...Bub inherited them both lucky boy.

6. He will HATE this post.

7. He has great and unique tastes in music.

8. He is Mr. Fix it...overflowing toilets, broken disposals, flat tires, my man either knows what to do or learns what to do.

9. He cares more about who people are, and what they can do than what they look like.

10. He doesn't like fake beauty...cosmetic surgery (unless medically needed), fake anything-tans, eyelashes, hair. He doesn't even like lots of make up. Can I tell you how refreshing that is? I feel like the worldly pressure on women is intense if I felt it from Darin as well I would totally cave.

11. Witty and intelligent sense of humor. His whole family has it, it's a gift.

12. He gets obsessed with learning things. He will read and study everything he can find about whatever he happens to be into at the moment.

13. He is extremely slow to anger.

14. He doesn't jump to conclusions.

15. He cares deeply about nature, he is willing to take action to keep it clean and healthy.

16. He is a thoughtful gift giver. I have beautiful pearl earrings from Mother's Day {and he helped the kids with breakfast in bed}

17. He loves and respects the women in his life, his mother, his sisters, his daughter and lucky me! He is always respectful to women he works with.

18. He takes on difficult tasks he has no desire to do, just because someone needs to do them.

19. He is not a glory seeker, he never wants limelight ever {not even on his birthday}

20. He encourages the children and I to be creative and use our imaginations. Through his own creative example, and also by providing opportunities.

21. He has written intelligent and persuasive letters to congressmen about policies he is concern about.

22. He is careful with my feelings and insecurities.

23. He loves to play with the kids toys. I don't enjoy putting together hot wheel tracks, or hexabug habitats, how nice that I can say "Daddy would love to play" and he does!

24. Clothes are for function only, he doesn't care about brands {unless it's a brand known for functionality}, trends, or what people tell him is cool.

25. He will watch BBC mini series with me

26. He introduces me to great TV (The IT crowd, Freaks and Geeks, Community and dare I say it??? We are currently watching Battlestar Galactica)

27. He lets me splurge on nice church clothes for the kids because it means so much to me to see the kids dressed up nice on Sundays.

28. He would rather be in nature than a theme park, but has been known to enjoy a good thrill ride.

29. He reads the information plaques at museums.

30. He likes to play funny games on his ipod like Goo World but doesn't overdo it by playing too much. It never would have worked between us if he was a video game addict.

31. He keeps our technology up and running smoothly, he also gives a lot of his time to help family members with theirs.

32. He researches where to get the best price on whatever we need to buy, and finds little ways to save a few dollars here and there.

33. He likes to try new foods and eat at locally owned restaurants. He doesn't like spending money on subpar fast food.

34. THIS LIST WAS SO EASY TO MAKE! I have tons of other things I could add...good thing he is getting older every year!

He does have one MAJOR flaw.....

it's hard to buy him gifts!!

How did I get so lucky?

PTA Carnival

I volunteered to help with face painting (stamping) at Mimi's school carnival.

Too bad M left town the weekend it occurred. She went to watch Aunt Julia's dance recital and play with cousins.

So we partied with the boys.

Games and bounce houses for Bub

Soren's first taste of cotton candy.

A family 4 mile bike ride to and from a fun park.

I am sure lovin' that Madsen.