Spring Break 2011

The kids and I had a fairly low key spring break this year.  In the past I have really planned and had activities everyday.  This year we just did two major things then hung out and did stuff around the house for the rest of the days.  Jack was very happy to have a break from school and Bella was really anxious to get back.  Sophie was happy to have them home, but annoyed her routine changed at the same time.  I remember the first few weeks of summer are always hard because we have to get used to a new routine and all being together again. 

Anyway, we went to the Discovery Childrens Museum at the Gateway on Tuesday.  It wasn't too busy because it was only spring break in Utah County. 

It also happened to be free scoop day at Ben and Jerry's.  So after lunch we walked over and each got a free scoop.  Everyone managed to eat their ice cream with minimal mess and nobody dropped their cone.

After the ice cream we walked over to Dick's to see if I could find some new flip flops.  I bought a pair there six or seven years ago that I love and have never been able to find the same style again.  And now I am only wearing flip flops, so I really need a comfy pair.  They had those, along with some shoes for Jack-the kids goes through shoes like crazy.  And each girl bought a bouncy ball. We also picked up a batting helmet for baseball season.  It was an expensive stop.  After that we were all ready to get home and I was really ready to sit for a while.

On Friday we went to the zoo with the Worthington's. We also ran into the Strongo's from the neighborhood.  Six kids and two pregnant ladies were pretty funny navigating some of the hills.  All the kids managed to get on animals on the carousel that moved this time.  Last time Jack picked a stationary animal and didn't realize until it was too late.

The tigers were surprisingly active and we watched those for a long time.  The kids also really liked seeing the peacock spread it's plume. The giraffe's were also pretty entertaining.  One really wanted out and was craning to get outside.  As we were leaving we saw a sign that said they were purposefully being kept apart due to a bit of spring fever. 

It was nice after lunch to sit and let the kids play on the play ground.  The day ended up being really nice and we all had a great time.

So not an action packed week, but enough to wear me out and the kids had the rest of the days playing with friends and helping around the house.

Strange things in the mail

I have been doing most of my gift, baby, and even fabric shopping online as of late.  So lots of packages have arrived and sometimes I am a little surprised to see what is in them-which means I have either been doing too much online shopping or pregnancy has zapped my brain cells and I am losing my memory. Last week there was a big envelope in the mailbox I didn't recognize.  And no wonder! This is what it contained:

 

I know I never ordered a calendar with Nate and I on it.  But we did buy a new car about a month ago. The Malibu just became too high maintenance for us and Nate didn't want me driving it because he was sure I would get stranded somewhere.  Probably true, I was picking him up all sorts of places where he was stranded.  Anyway, after we did all the paperwork, and were ready to go, the salesmen took our picture in front of the car.  I am smiling because I am obedient and was told to.  Nate and his rebellious nature looks as if he just spent a few hours in a car dealership and just wants to go.  We both really like the car, but could have lived without being on a calendar.

Strawberry Girl

Sophie and Isabella both love strawberries so much! I love this because I am not a huge fan and I want them to like stuff that I don't.  Nate likes everything, so I am grateful his genetics are mixed in there giving them a wider variety. 

Anyway, I have been buying them all sorts of new fruits and berries to make into smoothies and to snack on during the day.  Sophie decided she wanted to grow some strawberries.  So while we were at  IFA, I gave in and bought a container and a few plants for her to tend.  I am not so good at gardening in the ground and have had much better success with pots, I think they just seem more manageable.  We also bought some new gardening gloves for her and  set out to planting the strawberries. 

It was a nice warm day when we planted them.  But for the past few days it has been snowing and raining. I am so hoping they survive and she gets some strawberries, she checks on them multiple times a day.  She does have some far-fetched plans of taking the grown strawberries to the zoo and feeding them to the animals, but I think she will be happy just to eat something she had a hand in growing.

Swollen

Every time I speak to my mother or grandmother on the phone, they ask how I am feeling and how pregnant I am, a little or a lot.  Well, when you are pregnant with number four, there is no little bit pregnant.  But as there are no full length mirrors in my house, I ignore that fact most of the time.  I am not very tall, and I have a really short torso, so really, there is only a lot pregnant happening around here.  And I expect to spend the next several weeks just getting bigger.  So here is me swollen belly and all!

My ankles are also swollen and quite unseemly. I am only okay with that because I know that by the first of June they will start looking like my ankles again.  My ankles have bones, at least I think I remember seeing bones in them.

My Little Companion

Sophie gets to tag along all sorts of fun places with me.  Despite her generally crazy disposition at home, she behaves well in public (knock on wood).  She has come to all my doctors appointments thus far, is always at the store with me, and numerous fabric stores and places where she can't touch anything.  She does a good job. I am so grateful she and I have had the past few years to be together alone and really enjoy one another.  Her life is going to change in a few months in ways she isn't aware of, and although I am sure she won't remember all the time we spent running errands, playing, having little dates and treats, I will, and she can read all about it later.  Last Wednesday I had a doctor's appointment, then general auxiliary training downtown in Salt Lake.  Sophie loves wearing dresses, she asks to wear one every day!

  So I got her all dressed up and we headed out.  She is always full of questions at the doctors office, but refuses to ask him any of them.  Then we had a little picnic and headed to temple square.  Our meeting was in the tabernacle, and we sat up in the balcony and she colored and ate M&M's while I listened to the General Relief Society Presidency.  She was really good!  We left a little early because she had to go to the bathroom and I was getting quite swollen sitting on the tiny benches in the tabernacle-the pioneers must have been tiny!  It was a nice day together and I am so grateful that Sophie is my daughter.  She is often challenging and always busy, and you always know where you stand with her.  But she is always happy and straightforward and spicy!

Two times the cookie!

Last week for Family Home Evening I made cookies based on a recipe I have seen all over blogland.  Basically it is a chocolate chip cookie with a double stuff Oreo cookie inside it.

They come out huge.  Each one is a commitment to eat and the recipe yields only two dozen, thankfully.  But they are pretty yummy and last a long time.  I have my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe so was a bit reluctant to use another, but this one was really good!

 Verdict: Sophie and Jack thought these were pretty yummy.  Isabella, not so much, not a surprise, the kid is a major goody snob and I can never guess what she will and won't like.  Overall though a win, I haven't made too many treats lately, so I think everyone was pretty excited about that.  I think we are going to go for mango raspberry smoothies tonight.

The Early Bird Gets the Doughnut

This has been a pretty busy year for kids sports. Nate and I have both encouraged the kids to be athletic and make sports a part of their lives. We let them try whatever is available and see how they feel about it. Jack would play football, basketball, and baseball all the time if physically possible. The kid loves to be outside and be moving. I have no idea how he survives sitting at his desk most of the day without a ball in his hand.

Bella wanted to sign up for gymnastics the summer before kindergarten and has been going ever since. She also discovered a great love for basketball this year and wants to sign up for volley ball as soon as she is old enough. Gymnastics has been good for her in other sports and you can really see how the strength she has built there compliments everything else. And she loves it almost always, well, until this past winter. She goes early in the morning before school you see. She is our only kid who really values sleep. I rarely had to put her down for a nap when she was little, she would just go. In the fall when it was light outside, she was fine, she would hop up out of bed and get ready and all was well. Then winter hit, dark, cold, icy windows, snow, and man, it became hard. Then in December they let us know that her level needed to add another two hours each week. Nate and I both dreaded that change. You see, we value sleep as well (Nate more than I), and knew another few hours were gone. So we came up with a plan. A plan that gave everyone a little happiness. Nate instituted Doughnut Friday. One of us takes her in the morning, and we work out while she is there, then on the way home get some doughnuts to share. We both don't want to cancel all the work of the working out, so he and I each have a quarter of a maple bar, it is way hard to not buy a whole dozen each week, trust me on that one. Then Bella gets a chocolate with chocolate frosting. Jack and Sophie share with us because that is just how it is-sometimes we are mean. Anyway, it has totally helped with the extra early morning, funny as that seems. Bella always loves gymnastics, especially when she is there and not in transit. She has learned that some stuff is hard, but worth it. And it is always better to have Dad wake you up than Mom. He is way more sympathetic and gentle. I just wiggle her foot and say, time to go.