Trip to Mesa

When I mentioned to Rus that I wanted to go to Mesa for the weekend of my mom's birthday, cousin's wedding, and sister in law's baby shower, he quickly and endearingly suggested that I go alone, without the kids. I was happy to oblige, and after arranging babysitting for Wednesday (he had Friday off work already, and took Thursday off as well), packing my bags, and finding food that he could feed the kids, I was off! I went with my parents, which made the whole trip infinitely more satisfactory.

Here's a view from the truck near Pie Town, NM.

We did lots of fun things in Mesa! We stayed with Tyler and Gina. I woke up at 5am to run with Tyler before he went to work, that's how much I love him. Gina, my mom and I went to the nail salon later that day and had our toes painted. Gina is due in less than a month with her first baby - a boy! I couldn't be happier for her and Tyler!
The next day we made the trip to Ikea because we love it so much. Grandma went with us, and Dad was seduced by the incredible comfort and low price of this chair. I love that he is framed in a halo of light, with the price clearly displayed above him.

On Saturday, my Mom's birthday, we went to a few flea markets to find beautiful old rusty metal parts. We have big plans for old rusty metal parts. The first place was a bust, although they had the most delicious freshly baked cinnamon rolls. The second place was a gold mine. Why, oh why am I so easily seduced by old, used, worn things?

Proof of my part in the trip - waiting for dad to bring the truck around...

Also on my mom's birthday, we went to my cousin's wedding reception. "Reception" is stretching it a bit...It was more accurately a beautiful, casual park day with delicious catered tacos and addictive oreo-cream-filled cupcakes. Oh and there were lots of family members there as well. Here I am with my uncle Casey. My dad lost his 'stache and Casey found his.

Here is the happy couple: Ty and Alisa. Alisa actually served her mission in Arizona! She is from Canada. Several people from her mission were able to come to the "reception." Very cool.

My stunning mom and grandma! I love these ladies!

Gina went to her baby shower outside Tucson earlier in the day, that's why she's looking so cute in this pic. Sarah is going to be a big sister again later this summer - my sister Amy is expecting!

See? My dad, clean shaven, and my uncle Casey with his mustache. Oh how facial hair makes life interesting. It's a nice variation from talking about the weather (which was beautiful by the way).

My sister Amanda asked me to take some pictures of her kids. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to take this picture of the kids not being goofy. Notice how the arms are blurry? It's because they were always moving! Left to right - Madison, Hayden, Taylor, and Preston. Taylor is graduating high school this year! He is to-the-day 15 years older than Marianne - they share a birthday!

Grandma made my mom an amazingly scrumptious coconut cake. It was so good I didn't even have a chance to take a picture of it before Tyler ate it all and then licked the plate...Well maybe he had some help...

It was a WONDERFUL trip! And coming home was great too. Bekah cleaned the house and made me a cake while Rus and the other kids came to meet me so my parents wouldn't have to drive all the way up to my house. All the kids were delighted to have me back because I brought them each clip on lamps from Ikea. Rus made burgers, I slept in my own bed, and all was well.

Hike Up Hidden Valley

We took advantage of a Saturday a few weeks ago to go for a hike. Bekah was off with a friend, so it was just the three kids, Rus and I. 

Marianne did a great job, especially considering the steep, rocky wisp of a trail that we were following.

Beau and Jacob are natural hikers, although Jacob couldn't seem to stand our slow, slow pace. He was a yell away most of the hike.

And he and Beau climbed every boulder they could along the way!

Squishy cheeks, Dates, and Bugs...

Marianne and I have the wonderful honor of watching Miss Lydia Bug on a regular basis. We love her squishy cheeks and how she loves to squish other people's squishy cheeks. Marianne adores her.

Jacob received his Wolf! He's such a big kid. Have I mentioned how I don't really love cub scouts? Probably not because that might be offensive...But I don't.

Rus took the girls to a ward Daddy Daughter party. He requested that they be dressed up with their hair done special, and in return promised to wear a button up shirt. They had a great time! They danced, played games, and ate lots of snacks. Marianne threw up later that night and Rus the next night and the rest of us had the same affliction for several more nights.Too bad those two memories are intertwined...

Chip and Emilee visited that same weekend. We took care of them, fed them, Marianne did Chip's hair, and when they went home they took a bit of our stomach bug with them. I still feel bad...

Any tips for keeping a stomach bug from turning into an epidemic? Yuck.

Seeing Old Friends and Why I Stress Out at Fieldtrips

Can you believe that I lucked upon a brief visit with my college friend Tami as her family traveled from Phoenix to Kansas? I was so happy to see her, and her family who had swollen in numbers from two kids to five with one more on the way. Tami and I would be the very best of friends if we lived in the same town as each other!

Here is an awesome diorama that Jacob made for his "Spirit Animals" book report. I helped with the making the clay animals, but he put the whole thing together. He was so, so proud of it!

We went on a walk a few days ago and I couldn't resist this incredibly cute picture of Rus and his baby girl. He was helping her up quite a hill in this picture. Marianne is a surprisingly talented scooter operator!

Last Wednesday was "Mustache Day" at school. Bekah wanted hers to be curly, classic and sparkly, while Beau didn't want to wear a mustache. But he did want the pet snake on his arm to wear one.

I was able to chaperone Beau's field trip last week. We went to the aquarium and botanical gardens. I find chaperoning field trips to be terrifying and exhausting, especially when I have my extra little hoodlum to keep an eye on. (Never judge a mother who has leashed her child. She, unlike the rest of us, has simply come to terms with the fact that she is powerless to keep her child from leaving her arm's-length invisible-perimeter.)
Anyway, here's my well-behaved little group. I love that Beau's friend, the one with the black glasses, does not actually need glasses. He just loves wearing them, and adopted these empty frames from a 3D movie. I wonder if he wants to be like Beau?

The last time we hung out with my parents, Bekah asked my dad to help her build a jewelry box. And he did! He built a beautiful box with her out of poplar, complete with a handy little tray inside. She was ecstatic. He's such a wonderful grandpa!

Crafting, for the Record

Here are a few fun things I've been up to...alone and with friends!

My friend and neighbor Jen have been planning to make this three paneled screen for months. We are such good planners, but the follow through is questionable. Here are the screens sans-frames:

I must confessed we still haven't assembled them in their frames - the painting part has been a substantial time-sink...

And here is a fun nail-art project I did for Valentine's day. I needed to experiment with it to find a very simple version to do with Jacob's class for their Valentine's party. I found out that hammering so many nails into a board is actually pretty challenging for a child, even a very competent 9-year-old. Also the idea of procuring 22 hammers and then listening to 22 kids use them was enough to drive me under the covers with a full dosage of ibuprofen.

So I came up with this variation, after a brief perusal of pinterest: It utilizes foam instead of wood, and as such the nails can just be pushed in. I used my silhouette to quickly cut out 24 4x4" squares of paper with the holes for the heart in their proper places. The kids just had to glue the paper to the foam, push in the nails, string the yearn, and then wrap the outsides with fabric. Jacob's class loved the project although they were easily frustrated by wrapping the yard...and wrapping the yarn again when it unwound itself. Oh and knot tying does not come naturally to third graders, at least not this kind...

My mom convinced me to make this giant "LOVE" sign for my house when I was down visiting her with the kids. The "L" is from an old window, the "O" is a picture frame, and the other letters are from various reclaimed wood pieces. We are all showing off wood projects that my dad helped us do while we were at their house. I tried my hand (somewhat unsuccessfully) at the lathe, Bekah and Beau made a car and a motorcycle, and Jacob worked on his pinewood derby car

And last but not least I had fun making this little poppy print. It could be a whole lot better, but the fact that I took the time to make it equals success in my mind...

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was good this year. I think it is the most bi-polar of all holidays, or perhaps I'm the bi-polar one about it. But this year it was good. I was able to make valentines for my friends, a small elephant print that I neglected to photograph that said "a trunk full of love," and some of my favorite baked goods - chocolate dipped macaroons, YUM!

That night we did our family celebration - a fancy dinner complete with table settings and candle light and good food that everyone loves.

Marianne helped me bread all of the chicken. Actually, I think she single-handedly breaded all of the chicken! She is a great momma's helper!

I had visited a local toy store and couldn't resist purchasing six of their "cannot-be-over-wound-wind-up-toys." I put one on each plate and they were a huge hit! I think wind up toys will be the new theme of our V-day dinners! Rus had the monkey with a leopard print tutu, I had a spaceship that ingeniously cannot fall off of a ledge, Marianne had a frog that could flip, Jacob had a chameleon who could move its eyes, legs and tail, Bekah had an inch worm, and Beau had a cricket that jumped really fast. In full disclosure I will say that there was some slight whining about the toys - Marianne initially wanted Rus's gorilla, and then my spaceship, and then she happily settled on the frog. Jacob was grumpy about his being boring and not flipping like Marianne's. He eventually resigned himself to his chameleon when he realized the eyes moved.

After dinner we did our traditional fondue dessert. Angel food cake, strawberry sauce, and chocolate sauce. The angel food cake was a surprising flop this year, but it still tasted good dipped in chocolate. Because what doesn't taste good dipped in chocolate?

Oh, and I got my poem from my dad. It read:
Roses are red,
And brilliant and bright,
But you are the rare one,
Who turns mundane to light.

I replied,
Violets are pretty,
No hats for a rose.
But you are a man who wears plenty of those.
Woodworker, high council,
Retiree and temple student.
It's not a 'stache but hats
That for you would be prudent.

Ha! We're both such aspiring wordsmiths!

Which Cookie Looks the Best?

All of the kids did science experiments this year, although only two out of the three kids were required to do so. We're overachievers. I used to make Rus do the experiments because my own memories of the science fair were riddled with dark images of myself panicking the night before the due date, painting a shoe box with a hole cut out of it, stringing rubber bands across the hole, and then ashamedly passing it off as a "musical experiment." Dark days those were. Everything changed when I helped Bekah come up with her project last year - the light clicked on in my head and I realized we could do something I was actually interested in! (We dyed fabric using different types of fruits and veggies.)

This year Bekah tested different types of leavening in baked goods, Jacob found the perfect temperatures for making and cooling crystals, and Beau asked the question, "Do cookies look more appealing if they're under different colored lights?"

His project was really fun. And it was understandably easy to find willing participants. Beau made the cookies himself (with my help), and then we called all willing neighbors to come test out his theory. He turned two shoe boxes into four little sections that each had a light in it. They were all white push lights, but three of the lights had colored filters. So one section displayed a cookie in a white light, and then the others were blue, yellow, and red. His hypothesis was that the cookies in the white light would be the most appealing.

To up his numbers, we made cookies for his entire class and had them come up one by one to get a cookie. Here he is with his good buddy Cameron.

And here's a better view of the cookie set up.

I'm sure you're dying to know, so I'll tell you that the cookies under the yellow light were found to be the most favorable! Out of a sample group of 38 participants, 14 chose the cookie under the yellow light, 10 chose blue, 8 chose white, and 6 chose red.

Beau concluded, "I think people chose that light because it looked buttery and warm. I think sometimes the people picked a cookie because it just looked good."

Amen to that.