March comes in with a bang

"Let's go for a drive," suggested Justin one snowy Saturday night. "Ugh okay." We drove around on the slick roads, he and I. We tried doing doughnuts in the church parking lot then on the way back home we drove into a hole. Wham! Boom! What was that?! Construction crews created a four foot deep hole in the road that was covered with a metal plate. The snow plow that went by a minute before displaced the plate and we were the lucky ones that found that out. Mapleton notoriously lacks in street lights but there were no warning signs of a plate or hole either. I honestly don't know how two tires went in and then up and out of that hole. We turned around and parked right there to prevent anyone else from "finding" the hole and we called dispatch. The plow came back and saw us sitting there and got another guy with a front loader (Justin is going to be so mad I don't know the real word for the equipment) to slide the metal plate back. I don't know if the cops ever came. 

This is the angle we drove through it from. The truck has a nice crack the full width of the windshield and a popped tire.

Sarah's orchestra class got to perform at U of U in this beautiful concert hall. I got to watch it live streamed and took these screenshots.

She had so much fun and they played so well. Afterwards they all went to a pizza restuaruant in SLC and I speak with total confidence that that was the best part.

Justin told the kids they could never guess how "ornery" was spelled. These were their guesses.

I talked Justin into taking me to this breakfast place in Orem that I have wanted to go forever: Tru Religion Pancake and Steakhouse. He worked from home last Friday so I put us on the online waiting list and made him go when we got up in queue. I got a biscuit sandwich and a cinnamon roll and those are his pancakes that I'm trying. I'm not that much of a pig. It was pretty good and I want to go back to try more things. I don't eat breakfast foods very often even though I do love them.

Erica and her friend had a sudden interest in playing flag football, one on one. I thought it had to do with impressing boys at school but I later learned they are playing a Harry Potter themed dueling game they learned at school.

I don't want you to be caught off guard next time you come to my house so I am sharing this photo of Sarah's newly hung elk mount. I don't know how I feel about it. Scratch that, I know exactly how I feel about. Way too big, way too dead. Despite wanting to be the dictator of decor in my home Justin will not give me that title so here we are. She's taking it with her as soon as she moves out.

Saturday we put the trampoline back up and life has been so much better ever since. Sunday afternoons are usually full of fights borne of boredom but last Sunday was so quiet I think I fell asleep for a few minutes. The kiddos decided they also needed a tent outside, the weather was so nice.

This was after I kiboshed the plans of putting on their swimming suits and turning on the sprinklers.

For the first time ever we celebrated honored acknowledged pi day by having Moravian chicken pie for dinner and lime pie for dessert. I decided making yummy food is my kind of holiday.

We are having a windy day which isn't that unusual but the swirling snow on the mountain sure is. I got distracted multiple times while cleaning the house. Brr it looks cold up there.

What you're seeing below is the end of the credits of the 1992 Ron Howard/Tom Cruise film "Far and Away" which was my folding laundry show this week. What in the world is "Fungi the Dingle Dolphin"??

Thanks to google I now know it's an actual dolphin and Dingle is a city in Ireland.

"Fungie first showed up in Dingle in 1983 and quickly became a hit amongst locals and tourists alike due to his uncommonly friendly nature. 

The common bottlenose dolphin actively sought out human company and regularly swam close to tourist boats in Dingle Harbor, while local boat tours even offered money-back guarantees if Fungie didn't show up. 

Fungie also regularly accompanied local fishermen as they sailed out to sea from Dingle Harbor.

Question remains, why was it thanked in the movie credits? If I ever meet Ron Howard...

Leap Day 2024

Is leap day to be celebrated? Why an extra day in February? Aren't we all happy to say goodbye to February? Why not tack an extra day onto April or September? Those months seem to fly by. 

James asked to learn cribbage. I think he just likes our boat shaped cribbage board and wanted to learn how to use it. It's a pretty complicated game with lots of parts but it's mostly math so I knew he'd like it. He loved it. He even beat me. For comparison, I was 21 when I learned how to play; he's 7.

(I really didn't mean for all these pictures to be of just James) For President's Day we went to Brooker's ice cream tavern for some "Abraham Lincoln's New Birthday Cake of Freedom" and "George Washington's Indispensable Flavor" and "Paul Revere's Midnight Ride", etc. This ice cream is so good but it's so expensive so we only go twice a year. The other day being Independence Day of course. James manages to get the best ice cream beard every time.

This is his Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial he made at school. He was so proud to show me and tell me all about them.

Henry had an orchestra concert last week. He was sitting on the end for once so we got a good view of him. He wouldn't stop talking while I was taking his picture.

At the end of the concert as people were filing out he did this because he loves orchestra so much. I kind of thought he took the class because he didn't want to do band or chorus but it was quickly his favorite class. So crazy he's moving to 8th grade at the junior high next year. We love Mrs. Harman's concerts so luckily Erica will be playing for her in 2 years.

Sunday it was 61 degrees and the kids begged to get their swimming suits on. Tuesday the garbage can froze shut. I love weather in all it's unpredictability.

No idea what Erica is doing here but I'm pretty sure it was just for me.

Basketball season is all wrapped up and no one wants to play spring sports (phew!) so I think this is a calmer season of the year. Well for me. For Justin he gets to figure out 40+ callings. Our ward boundaries changed and they divided our stake. We lost some great neighbors and friends to the 2nd and 20th wards but I have to keep reminding myself no one moved away but it does feel that way.  Our neighbors across the street are not only in a different ward but a different stake. The church I can see from my driveway is not or building and never will be. Utah is fun like that. But I am looking forward to meeting new people on Sunday. The couple of streets we gained to the south of us are full of kids so that's fun for my kids. 

I always look forward to March because it means we are well on our way to spring but my expectations of March are always way too high and I get even more sad when it snows. But Easter is in March and that's my second favorite holiday so bring it!

Bad news, sad days, game time, holiday

There are only 2 reasons I go to Winco: Ataulfo mangos and Golden Griddle pancake syrup. They didn't have any mangos. Fine. These things are seasonal. But they no longer had a spot on their shelf for Golden Griddle syrup. You better believe I emailed ACH Food Company, the maker of Golden Griddle right in the grocery aisle. I received this reply:

 

I am so heartbroken. It's the only fake maple syrup I like. Everything else tastes like a mistake. Sure, I don't really eat syrup that much anymore and my kids prefer homemade buttermilk syrup. And yes, the six bottles I have in my pantry will last into the foreseeable future. But I have major nostalgia for this syrup. My mom bought this syrup and her mom before her. It ends with me and that makes me sad.

James had the flu for 7 days (during Erica's birthday). He was just fine in the morning but an hour into school the office called to tell me he threw up in class. He was shaking and achy and feverish when I picked him up. It hit him fast. After days of Tylenol/Motrin, not eating, barely drinking, fever fits (that's what I'm calling his emotional breakdowns when his fever was high) and watching TV for 14 hours a day, his fever finally broke. He still needed a good two days to rest before he was ready to go back to school. He noticeably lost weight and was still so tired. It took it out of him. (Erica got a fever the day he went back to school. I kept her home thinking we'd have another round but it resolved itself quickly and we're all fine.)

Sunday we held our first ever Family Bowl. We each chose a board game and kept track of 1, 2, 3rd place of each of the games. Winner takes home the trophy and $5.

We also had a course of food between each game. Chips, salsa, nacho cheese, jello, veggies, wings, egg rolls.

Hard part was choosing games that weren't played on teams. Those seem to be our go-tos.

After a dramatic game of Formula-D, Sarah won the race and the Family Bowl. 

Next year we'll try to do the points a little differently (kids realized no matter how they did on the last game they couldn't win so why bother) and have prizes for 2nd and 3rd place (I grabbed some stuff out of the pantry to prevent tears). 

Nothing cracks me up and warms my heart more than when James calls me on the doorbell camera to ask if he can make popcorn.

I was at Henry's basketball game.

He has just one more game tonight and the season is over.

He is having fun and complains less on the drive home so that's all that matters.

I like Valentine's Day. It's fun when you're a little kid thus it's fun as a parent to little kids. The school had a box competition so that put the pressure on. I was undefeated as a child in our class competitions but this was school-wide which is kind of dumb. Why have kindergarteners compete with 5th graders?

James made a tiger. He drew his design on a piece of paper and I transferred it to a box. (You're looking at 5 coats of orange craft paint.)

Erica made a sloth of course.

It took a long time to make but they were so diligent about it. Look at their cute smiles.

Miracle of all miracles I got to help in James's class (love his teacher but she never asks for helpers). The whole school ties fleece blankets on Valentine's day and their class had like 10 to do. I and a few other moms showed them how to do it and tied right along with them. Then we had to double check each blanket that there weren't any missed ties.

Then they passed out their Valentines. We weren't really needed after the blankets were all tied but we hung around and watched. First graders are the cutest.

And they are noisy and chaotic and need help reading their own handwriting.

After that I went home and finished setting up our Valentine dinner. Justin and I have never gone out just the two of us for Valentine's day since Sarah was born. And before that we went out for tacos because tacos are good and the restaurants aren't crowded. So Mexican food is our Valentine tradition.

We all got a little cup of candy and the kids got a new book. "Mexican food and a new book," Sarah replied when asked what she was doing for Valentine's day. I think it was two years ago I forgot books and I almost forgot this year.

The kids came home with their boxes and dumped them out all over the counter. The mess is still there this morning but I kind of like it. Good times.

And they were excited to get Valentine's from their aunt Lisa. 

Mexican food, new book, Valentines from Lisa. The three pillars of Valentine's day.

Right before dinner I let them open their books.

 

For dinner we had chile colorado with rice and beans and tortillas. Afterwards they could eat some candy. We spent a lot of time sorting through our Peanuts kisses.

And then we had hot fudge cake with ice cream and creme anglaise for dessert and watched a Charlie Brown Valentine's day special we found on youtube. It was a busy but fun day.