It's all good . . .

February Fun!

February has flown by and was pretty busy, but it was good.  We did some big things, like going to Utah for the Provo City Center Temple open house, but we also had lots of great smaller activities.  

One of the big things that I was involved in, was when my mom hosted her literary group, and I was in charge of the book review.  Their book club has one person give a review on the book, usually about an hour long, and most of the people in the group have not read the book before.  I did my review on a favorite book of mine, "Code Name Verity," and although I had a hard time cutting down the parts I wanted to read aloud to keep it to the one hour, it went really well.  And for our refreshments, I made quiche, and my mom made raspberry cheesecake.  But one of my favorite things, was that I found roses on clearance after Valentine's Day, and they made the most beautiful centerpiece.

Kevin and I are still serving in the nursery, and we have the cutest little kids in there right now.  I am in charge of the lesson each week, and a few weeks ago, we did a lesson on how our bodies are like Heavenly Father's body.  For the activity, we traced each of the kids on butcher paper.  They were so funny, and really loved doing it.  And I just love how cute they turned out - especially the one of the little girl who was sucking her thumb.

One thing that I finally got around to doing this month, was posting on my photography Instagram account.  I had created the account quite a while ago, but now that Instagram has made it super easy to switch from one account to another, it is super easy to go from my personal account to my business account.  I love it.  I am using it to mainly post my landscapes for now, but will probably add my portrait sessions as well.

As much as it will be fantastic when Kevin heads back East to start his new job, it has been so great having him around so much of the time.  It means we get to take a lot of random lunch dates with Arthur, like the other day when we tried out a fun new place downtown.  They had the most delicious crepes :).

We also had Chick-fil-A night, which was great.  The cow was even there, which is Arthur's very favorite thing there - well, the cow and the lemonade, and the chicken nuggets, and the french fries, and the chocolate milk :).  And let's not forget the milkshakes.

February also brought an end to Derek's basketball season.  He loved getting to play with his cousin, Luke, all season, and their team did pretty well, tying for third place before the tournament.  The tournament was this weekend, and they played great.  They won the first game of  the tournament, and played really well in their second game.  Over all, it was a fabulous season, and we were super happy with Aaron, their coach.  

Something that I do each week, is go into Derek's class and help out.  Derek's teacher has me do a little bit of everything, but her favorite thing to have me do, is to make her bulletin boards.  She usually even has me come up with the ideas - just gives me a little something to work with, and then I come up with something fun and make it.  This time she wants the kids to write about something they have been successful at, and so I came up with the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (which is a tad to the right, oh well).  The kids will write their essays on large "gold coins" and they will go all over the bulletin board.  I am pretty happy with how it turned out, even with the rainbow being too far over :).

And lastly, Kevin's crocheting has reached a whole new level of awesomeness this past month.  He has made all sorts of fabulous things, and the latest, was a "Toad" from Super Mario Brothers for Derek.  It is so fantastic!

All in all, it was a great month, and I can hardly believe it is over.  Now here's to seeing what March has in store for us all.

Arthur Smiles

Arthur is three, in every sense of the word.  From my experience, three year olds can really try ones patient, but then they can turn around and completely melt your heart.  Well, that sums up Arthur pretty well.  One moment he is playing and giggling and sweet, and the next he is screaming like a banshee while throwing a tantrum.  For example, while I am trying to type this, Arthur keeps throwing a blanket on my head.

Because I never really know from one minute to the next which Arthur I am going to get, I relish the times when he is sweet and fun.  This is why, even though I really hate taking "selfies," I will take them when he asks me to.  Especially because he smiles so big, and even kisses me on the cheek for them.  What a cutie!

Arthur has his dad wrapped around his finger just as much as he does me, and so he has been truly benefitting with Kevin's new crocheting talent.  He wanted a green hat, so he could pretend to be Luigi from Super Mario Brothers, and so Kevin made him a hat (it was his first attempt at one).  He looks so cute in it!

Kevin also made little stuffed animals for Arthur from his new favorite show, Octonauts.  He thinks they are the coolest things ever, and he is right.  They are so cute!!  (Kevin's skills are improving every day, that is for sure!)

And his dad even made him a "Pokeball" from Pokeman, which he can throw around the house. (I completely blame his older siblings for teaching him about that.)

Arthur loves to do everything he sees us do, but when it comes to reading scriptures as a family after dinner, it is usually al we can do to keep him in the same room.  That was why I was so surprised the other day when he grabbed a Book of Mormon for himself to read and pretended to follow along :).  He really can be a sweetheart when he wants to be.

That is, when he not being completely impossible ;).  The other day, I was in the midst of cooking dinner, when Arthur would just not leave me alone.  I would tell him that I was making dinner, and he would yell at me, "I need a Nutella sandwich!!" Then I would say, no, we are having something else, to which he would say to me in a loud annoyed voice - super slowly and accentuating each syllable "I need a Nu-Tell-a sand-wich!"  It was almost funny, and so I decided to take a video.  However, once I turned the camera on him, my highly annoyed and frustrated toddler, turned into a smiling and adorable toddler.  Funny kid, and here is the video to prove it :).

 

We sure love this kid, and even though toddlerhood is quite the emotional adventure, I am glad we are taking the ride with our Arthur.

Valentine's Day Adventures

I love Valentine's Day.  I love getting to go out with my husband somewhere a little fancier, I love making homemade Valentines with my kids (one of the few things I still do every single year), I love sending Valentine's to our family, and I love making heart shaped pancakes for us to eat.  It is all still pretty simple, but I love it.

This year, Derek picked the cutest Valentine to make - after I showed him a few simple ideas on Pinterest.  It was so easy, and turned out so cute.  And I had enough supplies, that Lily was able to make some for her friends as well.

With Valentine's Day on a Sunday, Kevin and I went out to dinner on Saturday.  This year, Kevin even picked the restaurant, which was awesome - in fact, I thought that was my gift ;).  As we were finishing dinner, Kevin gave me a card that had a hotel key in it.  He had planned a night away, and I was completely surprised!  (He is really amazing at keeping secrets.)  We went home so I could pack my stuff and say goodnight to the kids, and then went to the hotel.  He had it all decorated and it was so awesome.  I sure am a lucky girl!

The next morning, we checked out early, and were home in time so I could make the kids their special heart shaped pancakes.  I also put out their chocolate boxes and cards.  They loved it!

Arthur was not sure what he thought about the heart shaped pancakes.  He kept crying, "I need round pancakes!"  He got over it and ate them anyway though :).

Then we went to church, or actually, Arthur, Derek and I went to church.  Kevin and Lily stayed home sick.  (I cannot wait for all these illnesses to stop.  It seems that every time one of us gets better, they then get sick with something completely new.  We have never had this much sickness - maybe it is because we are in such close quarters, or because Kevin, Arthur and I are in the nursery every week at church.  My poor parents - we keep giving everything to them too.)  In spite of the sickness, it was a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend :).

A Day to See the Temple

On Friday, the kids had the day off of school, and so it was the perfect opportunity to take a day trip to Provo, Utah to see the new temple.  We were on the road before the sun was up, and were off on our adventure.

We had tickets for 12:15 pm, and I am glad we left with plenty of time to spare, because we hit really bad icy fog on the drive, and then when we arrived at the temple, there was a huge line.  Even with tickets, we had to wait over an hour to get in.  Picture this many people in line behind us and in front of us.

It was worth the bad road contains and waiting in line though.  The Provo City Center Temple was amazing - truly amazing.

 

I had been in the building many years ago when it was the Provo Tabernacle, long before the terrible fire that burned the inside.  When the church decided to rebuild it and turn it into a temple, they decided to do it in the style, as if it was built back when the original building was constructed - with ornate woodwork throughout, and the most amazing stained glass windows throughout the whole building.  One of the large stained glass windows was a beautiful picture of Christ holding a lamb in his arms, and it was saved from a Presbyterian church in NYC, built in 1901, that was being torn down.  It was so beautiful!

And the kids loved that there was a Christus in the waiting area.

Arthur was especially enchanted with the amazing fountains outside.

I am so glad that our kids got to go through the temple and see everything.  They loved it, and I know that the experience will leave lasting memories with them.  It was a wonderful experience in every way.

One added bonus of being in Provo, was that my little brother, Matthew, and his family were in town for the temple open house as well.  That meant that we got to meet for lunch and hang out before we headed back home.  We went to eat at Tucanos, a favorite place of ours, and we haven't been since we moved away from Colorado.  The kids loved getting to see their cousins, and I loved getting to hang out with my brother while we ate amazing Brazilian barbecue.

It was a fabulous day, and I am so grateful we were able to do it.

On His Way to Webelos

Ever since he turned ten, Derek has been working really on getting his Webelos advancement.  His cousin, Luke, is also working on getting his Webelos rank too, and so they have have been working on all kinds of things together.  One Saturday, they were working on their "First Responders" award.  Part of it was to meet with a first responder, and so we went to visit with some local firemen.  It was so fun, and the boys learned a ton.  After that, they worked with Kevin on first aid to finish it off.

One night, Kevin took him to the pool and he worked super hard and passed off his Aquanaut elective, and he even passed the BSA swim test.  He worked on his Duty to God and You award, and he also worked on his Sportsman and Art electives.

And then one day, Derek and I worked together to help him earn his "Iron Chef," which included building and starting a fire.  Well, he got the fire all built, just like the book said, however, the wind and the snow made it really hard for him to light it.  After twenty minutes of trying, I had Kevin try and help him, and soon, we had fire!

Besides building a fire, he had to plan a menu for a family meal, make a grocery list and budget, and then go shopping for the food.  Then later he had to cook the meal for the family, and he did a great job.  After we went grocery shopping, I took him out for a special "volcano" soda as a treat :).

Because Derek had worked so hard, that meant he had a bunch of awards coming his way.  He was so happy!

Derek's Webelos leader is fantastic, and their den had been working on making a den flag and cheer, as well as a motto.  They decided that they were the "Cavemen," and had the cutest cavemen chant, complete with actions.  It was really fun to watch :).

We are so proud of our Derek, and especially for how hard he has been working.  He will have his Webelos badge in no time :). 

Sweetheart Lily

Our Lily is only a few short months away from being a teenager, which is crazy.  Sometimes she has her moments of teenage drama, but most of the time she is sweet and wonderful.  She never ceases to amaze us with her talents and creativity.  In fact, she is in the middle of writing a book, and I can't wait to read it when she finishes it.

A few weeks ago, Lily came home from school and told me that she was going to perform in a talent show in an assembly at school.  She is so brave!  Not only did she perform in the talent show, playing the piano and singing "St. Louis Blues," but she won first place.  So much fun!  We are so proud of her :).

I love to spend time with her, and sometimes on a Wednesday morning, we both wake up early and go to the Twin Falls Temple together.  (And yes, sometimes we even match in our black coats and hand crocheted scarves that Kevin made us.)

Last night, Kevin and I got to take her out to watch her cousin, Adam, in a choir concert.  It was so fun to have special time with our sweet girl, and the show was pretty fun too.

As hard as it is to see our little girl growing so much, it is also really exciting and fun.  We are so blessed to have her in our family.

Our Little Arthur Fish

In the middle of January, Arthur started swimming lessons, and he was so excited!  He has always loved the water, and so getting to go to swimming lessons was perfect for him.

He was in heaven, getting to go swimming twice a week, and even though it took a bit for him to listen well to his teacher, he started doing really well.

it was really fun to watch him progress throughout the four weeks.  He did just as well as the two older kids in the class, and only occasionally did he try and wander away from his teacher.

My favorite part was watching him try to do the strokes, especially when he was on his back.  His teacher was really sweet and patient with him.  In fact, she was the same teacher who taught Derek this past summer.

In between his turn with the teacher, he got really good at holding onto the side, and climbing out of the water all on his own.

At the end of every lesson, the kids were rewarded with the chance to go down the slide.  He had so much fun on the slide, and he would go over and over again.

It was a wonderful session of swimming lessons, and Arthur can't wait until April when he gets to go again.

He is a little video of his lessons: