Young Minds

I don't know what happened, but somehow my pictures are loading again!! So, here's my blog from last week....

Victoria participated in the school's science fair this year. Over a month ago we were given the information to get started and she was excited to conduct a real experiment (or experience, as she calls it). She wanted to know which is better for plants, water or milk.

As you can see from the pictures, milk does not do a plant good! She did great on her project and her presentation as people came by her trifold. She says she loves science!

Meanwhile, she and Karissa have been busy with other little creations. Victoria is working on a quiet book that requires some sewing, which she's doing well at. Karissa loves getting out paper, glue, markers, and odd items and creating things like a "feeling chart" where you feel different textures, dog collars for her stuffed animals, a stuffed pig, and musical instruments. Everyone ended up making the instruments with her when Grandma was here.

Busy at work .

I couldn't get this to turn, but at least I have pictures! Here's her "feeling" chart.

Stuffed Pig Karissa made me for my birthday.

Here's one I added from last weekend. We got to go to Jason's game on Friday since it started earlier, Karissa decided to make a poster for him. Austin did too, but didn't outline it, so you can't see it very well, but he did bubble letters all by himself! They were some good cheerleaders!

I love watching them get so excited over such simple, fun pleasures! I hope they enjoy doing these things for a long time!

Change of Plans

Yesterday I wrote a blog about the science fair and a couple of other things. I wanted to post four pictures with it, but for some reason they wouldn't load. We changed Internet services from AT&T to WOW on Monday and are changing over from our ancient huge computer to our laptop with a docking station. Our Internet had been having problems and was sometimes so slow, or not moving at all, that we decided to make these changes. Well, so far I'm not impressed. The Internet is not any faster and I can't get my pics on my blog!!  I don't do much on the computer and don't even need the Internet 24/7, myself, but I do want a working blog! I'll have to post the blog from yesterday another day.

So, today, my birthday, I wake up to school being cancelled due to a huge snowstorm! We've gotten three inches already and are supposed to get another 4 or 5 in the next couple hours! Okay, so what, right? Well, we still had about 2 feet left over from Christmas! It had finally started melting over the last few days with temps in the high 30s and 40s. Yesterday, it got up to 53 degrees. The kids and I were outside without coats and with snow boots so we could walk around in the snow. It was the weirdest feeling ever being in such "warm" weather in that much snow! I took pictures, but I guess you can't see them right now

Today I was supposed to go to lunch with Jason by his work. My good friend offered to watch my boys for that. I could have still gone, but the roads are so bad I don't need to leave all my kids behind and travel through all this. Another friend is watching my boys Friday, so I'll do lunch with Jason then. I have such good friends! It's a good thing I like the snow, otherwise this could be a very bad day! The only other thing that makes this much snow okay is the fact that we had those 9 sunny days in So. Cal. over Christmas. A little summer in December helped.

We're going to party-hardy today!

Karissa's Dance

Keeping Active

Well, it's March. We still have the same snow (and tons more) on the ground that we had in December. Yesterday, on 3/3 it was 3 degrees when I took the girls to school. What is that?! I'm not expecting 50 degree weather here, just in the high 20's, at least!!

As you know, Jason has been playing indoor soccer on Friday nights (that's how he got to wear that lovely brace and sling, which he's out of now and only wearing a temporary wrist brace). He's playing with the "over 30" men from our ward and another ward against other "older" men in the area at High Velocity Sports. He really likes soccer, so it's fun for him to be able to play. He played goalie until he hurt his shoulder. Then he was playing on the field when he hurt his wrist. Those old men are rough! I got to watch him play when my mom was here.

Not a very good pic with the fence in the way, but he looks ready!

As you can see, his arm was still in the brace at this game.

Something that I've been doing, besides my indoor work-out, is playing basketball at the church with some other ladies in the Stake. Yes, you read it right, I'm playing basketball! You can laugh out loud if you want, I do! I wanted to play last year because I actually like the sport, but I chickened out. This year, a friend a mine who's not a member of our church wanted to play and wanted me to also, so I agreed. This is the first time ever that I've played an organized game of basketball. Some of the players played college ball and are awesome, some are just pretty good, then there's me and a couple of others who probably look pretty ridiculous. But, hey, last game I made 5 baskets!! I'm getting better each week! (They're all helping me and being extra nice when I have the ball, too!)


Karissa decided to try the hip hop class at the gymnastics studio for the last session. They got to perform their dance for the parents in class last week. Here it is:

(Okay, never mind. I'm having problems with getting it from YouTube to here, but I was able to put it in a separate blog. Look at the next one!)

Mid-Winter Visit

One of the good things about mid-winter break this year was that we got to actually enjoy winter-type activities because we had a ton of snow on the ground. Most other years it seems the snow melted just for mid-winter break, then would return after school resumed. So, we got to enjoy a few good days of sledding and building a snowman (the first time we ever could build a "real" one because of the quality of the snow).

In the middle of the week my mom came for a special visit and brought a little warmer weather with her. The day she came felt like spring. Temps were in the high 30s that day and the sun was shining! The rest of her stay here got gradually colder. Now it's in the single digits, again. The thick layer of ice on our circle didn't even melt yet!

We had a great time with Grandma. She gave gifts, love, fun, and service. I had a few appointments to go to, plus Jason and I went to his soccer game and the temple. Lots of time for Grandma to be with the kids uninterrupted!  We took the kids roller skating, danced a lot, made many crafts, played many games, went shopping, baked healthy goodies, watched movies, and went to the usual dance/gymnastics classes. It's always fun when Grandparents come!

Victoria has moved into the "guest room" and wanted to share it with Grandma. Slumber Party!

It was dark, so most pictures didn't turn out at the roller rink.

A mad game of Memory.

Sunday pics

I'm still 5'3" (went for my physical when my mom was here). So, I guess she's not 5'8" anymore, though I think I had my shoes on here.




I never got any pics with Grandma and Erik alone. While I was gone, they had some good bonding time, but when I returned he was with me or just being crazy, so Erik-like!

My Valentines

If you read my post on Valentine's Day last year, I was frustrated by the greedy wants of my children for gifts, rather than for enjoying our loved ones, no matter what gifts we receive. This year, my girls made me proud! Victoria bought gifts at the dollar store for everyone and made everyone a very special card. Karissa gave everyone either something she made, or something she really cherished herself. They waited until Jason got home that evening to pass out the gifts, explaining to Austin that we do it as a family. Better than the gifts, they were so helpful and loving the whole week! We had done a Family Home Evening on doing service for our loved ones. Each time they did something for someone else, they wrote it on a piece of paper and we connected it together in a chain. They were able to see it grow throughout the week. Even Austin was excited to do it.

Other highlights of the day:

Lunch with Jason near his work.

Completing our snow fort.

Here is the main room.

My little Valentines.

My main Valentine!

Unfortunately he had a soccer game later that night and got blindsided by the goalie. He has a sprained wrist, but is managing well. He tied his tie one-handed on Sunday!

Back to the Basics

I haven't been watching Logan since his mom finished her schooling. She hasn't gotten a job yet and I think she's enjoying being home with him for now. Now that the holidays are over, we're not on vacation, and everyone is healthy, life is starting to get back to normal, but what is normal? I had been watching Logan for over a year, so before then, Erik was just a little baby and Karissa was home with Austin. Now I have a 4 -year-old and 2-year-old, without a daily play date, and I'm trying to do what I did with the girls when they were this age. They include:

-getting Austin ready for kindergarten (I register him next month!)
-dancing to music
-baking (I did this solo when Logan was here, which was easier, but it sure is fun with the boys!)
-playing games (Austin really likes board games, more than his sisters at this age)

It is different with boys than with girls and Erik is El Destructo, but it's nice to help them grow in other ways when they're not distracted by a friend all the time (though we love Logan!)

It's also helping Erik's vocabulary, or maybe he's just  getting older, but he's talking more clearly and trying more words. I can't compare him to his jabber jaw oldest sister at this age, or his other siblings, but he's doing great for him!

I had fun on Saturday digging this snow tunnel with the three older kiddos. I have to say that I can't build a very good snowman (I blame that on my California roots), but I made some pretty good tunnels and the kids are enjoying them! I might branch out and try to hollow out the end in an igloo later this week...

When we finally connected the two.

I made another connection so we could have three openings!