Almost there. . .

If I could describe our weather this last week I would only need 2 words- cold and wet. Clearly it was a perfect week for Britton to have 3 soccer games outside.  Jameson and I froze our way through 1 1/2 of the games, but Adam had to finish the rest out for us.  It was just too cold and windy.

The big news of the week is that we got carpet in the basement.  Jameson felt free as a bird and was running around and laughing. He just couldn't get enough of the wide open space.  Now we only need our counter tops for the bathroom and kitchenette and then the plumber can come back and get the water hooked up.  Saturday was spent going through all of the stuff we squished into our cold storage area and putting things back together.

I love my new built in shelves in the storage room!

 

It has been a big project so it is exciting that the end is in sight.

 

We are entering into the recital/program time of year and the Britton and Jenna got us started with an Orchestra assembly at school. 

 

 

After school it was the first day of "mini-recitals" for the girls.  Here they are with their violins.

 

 

They are both progressing and seem to enjoy it.  This is for the grandparents who couldn't be there.

 

Weekend Update

We are in the middle of spring around which means that some days are absolutely beautiful, and others are cold and/or rainy and/or windy.  For Jameson who LOVES to be outside cold days are a real buzz kill. He doesn't understand why I am so fickle when it comes to letting him go outside.  Some days I do, some days I don't.  Such a confusing thing for a 15 month old with energy to burn. 

Last weekend was a busy weekend.  The Friday night before conference I was able to get together with the infamous K-1 Crew. We started with dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.

 

We ordered 4 different dishes and then ate family style.  It was the perfect way to enjoy the variety of food they have available and the Cheesecake Factory.  Then it was on to Ker-dog's house for foot zones by Heather and the "Dressing Your Truth" personality profiles by Cyd.  Ker-dog is a type 1, Kaylynn is definitely a type 2, Cyd and I were type 3's, Malin was a classic type 4, and Heather was 4,3 mix. What does this mean to you? Probably nothing.  But to us it means we are all completely different which may be why we seem to get along so well. 

 At 2:00 a.m. we finally said goodbye for the night.  Ahh, good times with the K-1 Crew. Can't wait to get together again.

The rest of conference weekend we spent at home hanging with my sister Heather's family who were staying at my parents new house around the corner.  While our basement is nearing completion, it isn't quite there meaning our General Conference viewing situation isn't great.  We have 2 TV's but neither is in a location that accommodates a crowd. So we split up and most of the kids were upstairs in an office we converted to a small family room while work is being done on the basement.  The rest of us were in the exercise room in the basement which is the only room that is finished downstairs.  We didn't have furniture in it (unless you count the treadmill) so we watched conference sitting in lawn chairs.  

Sunday morning Aaron was able to hook up my parent's 55 inch TV to his phone's hotspot to get conference working.

It was a lot more comfortable to watch it in my parent's family room on the big screen but after receiving a bill for $42.00 near the end of the session he realized he had exhausted his data plan for the month and they were charging him for the overage. Oops.  Fortunately he was able to upgrade his plan for the month which reduced it to $10.00 but the lesson was learned and they were back to our house for the afternoon session. 

I didn't get a lot of pictures of the visit, but managed to get a few of the impromptu dance the girls had in our family room.  Jameson loved that they let him "bust a move" with them.

Soccer season is back in swing which complicates our schedule a bit.  It's a good thing for me that Adam is really good about taking care of the soccer stuff.  The season only goes through mid-May, but there is a bit more travel involved than I care for.  I guess it's what happens when your kids get older and play club soccer. 

Easter Sunny

This year Easter was during our Spring Break so we arrived at Gramma and Grampa's down south just in time for the family Easter party.  Aunt Jaclyn hosted and the festivities started with coloring eggs. 

 



Then it was time to gather for the official Easter Egg Hunt.

 

And they're off!

 

There were fun prizes for all.

 

 

 

 

As you can see Gramma and Grampa are always VERY serious.

 

 

The Easter "after party" was moved to Aunt Bethany's house.  After dinner we made smores with America's number one Easter treat. . .

 

Peeps!

 

If you just said, "yuck", I'm right there with you, but it was a hit with the kids.

 

 

At the conclusion of the "wordly" Easter festivities the family gathered for a "Passover Feast" which is Adam's family's version of a meal comparable to what the Jews might have eaten during the time of the crucifixion and resurrection of the Savior.  Adam's Dad talked about the Savior and then each food item, which was symbolic of something about the Savior, was handed out to everyone.  It wasn't the most filling dinner, and most of the foods weren't very popular with the kids (which is why we all ate a real meal beforehand), but they really liked the experience and it helped them think of Easter a little differently.



Cousins getting ready for the Passover meal.

Adam has 4 siblings that live in SG, but on Easter Sunday it was just us at Gramma and Grampa's.  I have found that the more other families go into "holiday overkill" mode, I feel a need to rebel. When it comes to holidays so many are marching up and onward but I'm marching in the opposite direction.  This Easter we didn't do the Easter basket thing at all.  In fact my kids didn't even ask me about it. They had all of their candy and fun the day before and they were cool with it. We got up and got ready for church and then Gramma and Grampa did a fun Easter scripture activity with the kids.  After church we had a lovely dinner with Uncle Stephen and got to walk outside in the great weather. It was a great day. I know, I'm such a rebel, but I think my kids are going to be ok.

How do Adam and his siblings bond?

There is nothing like a "101 Dalmations" puzzle to really get the blood pumping. The puzzle was an easy one so they had it done in no time at all.  They are definitely a "game playing, puzzle putting together" kind of family.

A trip to sunny SG would not be complete without a little swimming.  Jameson was in heaven.

And so were his fishy siblings and their cousins.

 

GiGi's (Great Grandma's) new house is part of an HOA that has a pool.  It was a nice and big pool and the kids had a great time.

 

The Grandmas looking on.

This trip we decided to do something we had never done before so one day we made our way to Zion's National Park.

 

Britton wanted me to let you know that the reason he was wearing a coat is because Jenna took his jacket and it was all he had left. Not sure why that matters, but there you go.

 

I didn't get a lot of pictures because someone who will remain nameless (but whose name starts with a 'J' and ends with an 'ameson') was not having a good day and we had to leave earlier than planned.  He was in meltdown mode, but it was really beautiful and we enjoyed our brief time in the park.

 

Before we knew it it was time to travel back home.  Gramma and Grampa are waiting for a mission call and we hoped it would come while we were there, but it didn't.  They are looking for it to arrive in  the next day or two. Here we are just before getting in the car to come home.

 

 

Before this trip the jury was out on whether or not Jameson was going to be a good traveler.  Well, the jury is back and they have reached a verdict.

 

 

Jameson is NOT a good traveler.

 

We discovered that if you go on a 5 1/2 hour car trip he will spend 1 hour sleeping, 30 minutes sitting quietly (not in a row, of course) and 4 hours screaming. And by screaming we mean ear-splitting, "I'm going to need 800 milligrams of ibuprophen right now" kind of screaming. I wish I was exaggerating, but sadly, I am not.

 

We did get through it, but just barely.

 

Good thing he is so cute.

 

March Madness

For the last 7 1/2 years Adam and I have been driving the same 2 cars around, a 2002 Honda Odyssey and a 1998 Toyota Camry. Well, the Camry has been getting on in years and Adam decided it was time to sell it after 8 years of loyal service to our family.  We sold it to our 16 year old nephew who was very excited to purchase his first car.  When Adam told the kids he was selling the Camry they took it harder than we thought they would.  They couldn't believe we would sell it. They don't remember ever having another car so it was the first for them. Korinne's quote of the day, "I'm really going to miss this baby."

Adam and Britton just before they drove the car to its new owner.

 

We're hoping to find a car that will do a little better going up our hill in the snow. Now that we are down a car we are under a little pressure to find something very soon.

 

This morning we were all sitting in the family room and Britton was listening to the Mormon channel on his kindle when the following conversation took place.

 

Adam "Britton, what are you doing?"

Britton "I'm listening to  Russell M Nelson's talk called 'Lessons from the Lord's Prayer'" (Typical Britton)

Adam "Today is selection Sunday"

Britton "What?"

Adam "Selection Sunday.  They decide today who gets to go to the big dance"

Britton "What? The square dance?? What's that?"

Adam "No, the big dance. You don't know what the big dance is? I see my work here is not done."

 

I find it funny that it was Adam trying to distract Britton from doing something very appropriate for a Sunday.  Yes, Adam.  Sometimes he gets really wild and crazy like that.  March Madness (aka the NCAA basketball tournament) is big for Adam.  He absolutely loves it. He watches the tournament on a TV in his office while trying to work at the same time. I'm sure he will have fun working on his bracket tomorrow in time for the games to start Thursday. Yeah, it just doesn't feel like March until the big dance begins.

 

I said something this week that I never thought I would say.

 

"Britton, will you please STOP practicing the cello?"

 

Yes, I said it and I meant it.  Britton and Jenna have been participating in a "Practice-a-thon" for orchestra. They were supposed to get pledges for each minute they practiced during the week and then collect the money.  For the orchestra program it's a win-win.  The kids practice a lot AND they get the fundraiser money they need.  Well, Adam and I always just make a flat donation so it doesn't really matter how much they practice, but Britton and Jenna are just a little competitive and are determined to practice more than any other member of the orchestra. I guess the winners get some kind of prize.  Anyway, they have both been practicing non-stop and if one practices more than the other, the other one gets all stressed out that they are getting behind in minutes.  They spend a lot of time practicing together since they are in the same class but play different instruments.  Well, one night this week Britton was practicing in his room and Jenna was supposed to do the dishes but she was all stressed out that Britton wouldn't stop practicing while she was doing dishes and she was going to get behind and he was so mean and why won't he just stop for a minute! (I'm sure you can imagine the scene.)  I just wanted the dishes done but Jenna was so stressed about it she wasn't getting anything done at all. Finally I marched up to Britton's room and said, "Britton, will you please stop practicing!"  He smiled at me and laughed a little and then stopped.  I left the room thinking, "Well, I guess I should add that to the list of things I never thought I would say in my lifetime."

 

Here they are practicing on Britton's bed.  After more than 13 hours of practice this week they are starting to sound really good!

 

Fun Stuff

For Jenna's birthday Grandma P got her a ticket for the Disney on Ice show.  Korinne and I came along and made it a real party.  To say the girls were excited for the show is an understatement.  They loved every minute of it.

We had great seats.

Adam stayed home with the boys.  Britton invited a friend to go to The Jump Zone since they each had a free pass.  Jameson loved it and the fact that he was still free of charge made it even better. 
So, who had more fun on Friday night? The girls will insist they did, but Britton is pretty sure he had more fun. Yeah, we're party animals.

We haven't traveled anywhere all winter long.  In fact, the last time we left the valley was for Thanksgiving.  I think we are ready for it to warm up so we can get out.  One of the main reasons we didn't travel was because we have been finishing our basement. Things are starting to come together and we are in the final stages.  We are currently painting and then all we have left is to have the electrician and plumber come back to do their final work, and get the carpet and cabinets in.  We are so exited to have it done! Our goal was to have it done within five years of moving in and it will be five years in September. Right on schedule.

The Bowl

Britton and Jenna went bowling this week. . . Geography bowling that is! (Ha ha) It was the big Geography Bowl they have been preparing for for the last 6 weeks. It is open to 4th and 5th graders at the school. The 4th graders focus on Utah, general geography terms and some of world stuff. The 5th graders focus more on the United States and the world in general.  It is extra-curricular so the students who are interested in participating meet 5 times during the week before and after school.  Since we had 2 kids doing it this year, and because they are in different grades, it meant we had to juggle an extra 10 meetings a week.  Put that together with all of Britton's extra meetings for his Panda Power club assembly they put on for the school last week (3 mornings a week), Britton and Jenna's orchestra (2 afternoons a week), Scouts, Activity days, Soccer (3 times a week), Piano (Britton), and Theater (1 time a week for Jenna), Orthodontist appts, Korinne's violin (2 times a week), and everything else that always seems to come up and it has been a crazy winter. 

Tangent--

You know, I really thought that if I limited my kids to just one extra activity and one instrument that we would be able to avoid the crazy schedules.  What I didn't factor in was the extra school stuff like Geography club, and the fact that my kids are enthusiastic about everything and want to do it all.  When Britton and Jenna come running in from school saying, "We want to do Geography club!" I just couldn't say, "No, I'm sorry, I don't want you to learn about Geography even though I know you'll study hard and get every question right in the Geography Bowl."  Bam! All of the sudden I had 10 extra hours of "stuff" to get my kids to.  When Britton wanted to do the Panda service club at school and it meant early morning meetings and 3 mornings a week during the winter as they prepared for a school assembly, I couldn't quite say, "No, I'm sorry son, I don't think you should serve people and learn leadership skills."  And when Britton and Jenna both wanted to participate in orchestra, which is free, and were willing to practice and do the work we could hardly say "No, we know there are great benefits to learning a string instrument, but we just don't want you to have that experience even though you're excited about it and willing to practice."  I have to admit it has been quite an education for me.  I used to watch mothers like me running around and would say to myself, "They did it to themselves. They put their kids in too many things!"  Now I realize it isn't always the case and there is a lot more to it.  I have also realized that my kids may be somewhat more enthusiastic about certain academic pursuits than the average kid.  They want to do it all, it's true, but they have proven to me that they are willing to do the work, too.  This means that I have many more years of pure craziness in my future.

--End of Tangent

So, back to the Geography Bowl. The 4th Graders were first and Jenna was a member of "The Firebolts."  Jenna scored the most points of anyone on her team and lead them to a 1st place finish.

 

Next up were the 5th graders.  Britton's team, The Map Maniacs, were trailing by 4 points at the half.  It was a close race, but in the end they came from behind and won!

 

 

Britton wasn't about to be upstaged by his little sister so he also scored the most points on his team. I'm sure you can imagine how well Jameson did during the 2 hours of Geography in the school gym.  Yeah, it wasn't his favorite.  I had to take him out in the hall several times, but somehow we both survived the experience (barely).



Here they are with their 1st place king size candy bars
 

Congrats to both Britton and Jenna!