March

In March, we had dinner at Katie's (which included rides on their little motorcycle--Josh was beyond thrilled and showed Megan and Laura how to do it after giving Megan a ride), Josh started lacrosse, we had a pioneer trek activity at the church where Megan and Josh practiced standing in ice cold water like the pioneers did, Josh and his friends started a 3-D printer business after they pooled their money and found a silent partner/investor in Nate (they are selling these fidget spinner things and have done a great job running the business--especially Josh), Nate and the kids did some family history to try and find some names for Laura to take to the temple in a few weeks, and we went to Lia's grand concert, which was was amazing!

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Lia's Birthday

On Lia's actual birthday she opened her presents and then she and Nate and I went skiing. It was really fun to go with just her. She is a great skier! That night we had pasta (her favorite) for dinner and then I took her, Laura, Megan and the Elmers to see a movie (the same one she saw with her student council group a couple days before--she liked it so much she wanted to see it again). I am so grateful for Lia. She is a great example to me in so many ways. She is so giving and is always thinking of nice things to do for other people. She is also very creative and is always coming up with fun things to do and make. She is very dilligent with her homework and her study of the gospel. Her staight A's and membership in the National Honor Society are great, but I'm even more proud of her desire to do what is right. She is very committed to her family and extended family and to her friends. It's fun to watch her try new things and further develop others, like playing the violin. She is a great friend to me and fun to be with. And she is so patient with me as I fumble my way through being her mom. I will always be grateful for the little girl she was and the beautiful young woman she is becoming. 

Lia's Birthday Weekend

We kicked off Lia's birthday weekend with dinner with Nate's family and a Jazz game (our first one of the season). The kids were so excited to go to the game! When we got there, they got Jazz pins and Lia got a birthday pin. Then, they made it on the jumbotron. It was a dream come true for Lia! We ran into our friends the Thaynes there too which made it an altogether great night! We also had a visit from Grandma and Steve. They came to see Lia for her birthday and had dinner with us. It was so nice to have them! And finally, I took Lia to lunch with her two friends Colette and Kylie. They have been such great friends to Lia and I am so grateful for them!

Dr. Seuss Tea Party

Megan had a Dr. Seuss Tea Party at school at the beginning of March. She talked about it for weeks, gathered Dr. Seuss books, and made invitations for the event.  She served her guests when they got there and read with them. She was so excited and so cute! I took Lia to lunch that same day for her birthday, so I wasn't able to go, but thankfully Nate and Janet were and had a fun time.

End of February

At the end of the month, Lia and Laura both advanced past the district science fair to go to the state competition at BYU in March. We are so proud of them! And Nate and I went skiing and to lunch at Deer Valley (thanks to a Christmas gift from one of Nate's clients). We also had what was probably our last family ski day at Atla. Its been a great winter and for the first time ever, I'm sad to see it coming to an end! And, Josh and Ethan got ice cream and went shopping with me. For boys who don't like to shop, they were in no hurry to go home!

Pancakes and Valentine's Day

This first picture doesn't have anything to do with pancakes or Valentine's Day, but I wanted to document it anyway because I like the picture and also because I wanted to remember how Josh didn't remove this hat for a few days (a friend in our ward just started a new business and brought them over for the kids). He's not a big hat guy, but he loves this one! So, back to pancakes. Josh has decided he likes to make breakfast on Sunday mornings and he started with pancakes. He did a great job! Then Megan and I went out for pancakes to celebrate her half birthday. She'd been dying to go to iHop and have pancakes and hot chocolate for months, and since she doesn't get checked out of school on her birthday for lunch (since it's in the summer), we did it on her half birthday. She was so cute it was worth a trip to a restaruant I probably wouldn't have chosen otherwise. And finally, we celebrated Valentine's Day with boxes, a trip to a care center where Megan's class sang to the residents and handed out flowers, and with a dinner at home. Every few years (it's random, there's no rhyme or reason to it) we get the kids something for Valentine's Day. This year Josh got virtual reality goggles. He'd been talking about them for forever and I finally gave in. He didn't want to take them off during family prayer and Nate got a picture. He's so funny.