Talented ladies...

February has been a non-stop parade of talent at our house.  Lorien started things off with her Beethoven concert, Adell took over and performed in the elementary school talent show.

Adell and her two friends, Lilah and Aviva, danced to the song "Together Wherever we go" from Gypsy.  The girls picked the song, their outfits and choreographed the whole dance by themselves.  It was ahhhhhh-dorable!

Clare took over from Adell and participated in both casts of her middle school musical, Bye, Bye, Birdie.  She played a teen girl named Helen and had a very short solo in the beginning.  Naturally, she was superb!

The girls always have a very supportive audience.

Clare doubled up with a district choir performance.  She sang several songs with her middle school choir and then a few more with the high school choirs.  The whole show was beautiful and I loved seeing and hearing Clare!

Finally, Lorien wrapped up the month by celebrating Dr. Susses' birthday.  Lorien was asked by a school friend to run a face painting table at the library celebration.  Lorien was a hit at the table, the face painting line went halfway across the room.

Seriously, it was one float after another in our talent parade.  No one threw candy but we all loved watching the shows!

Make over by Lorien...

Will is out of town for his Grandmother's funereal and a work trip.  Lorien wanted to give me a make up make over...so I let her.  Here it is: Before and After...

Candy Bear...

In kindergarten you get to take home a stuffed animal and have some adventures...provided you write about your adventures in the class story book.  Then the teacher reads the story to the class the next day.  Today was Colter's turn for Candy Bear.  

It was kind of the worst day for me to have a stuffed animal host.  I had a doctors appointment for me in the morning, one for Lorien in the afternoon, an appointment to meet a friend at Savers, kid pick ups, Colter's assessments and swim lessons for Adell and Colter.  It was too crazy.  But, you have to take Candy Bear when you get him...so Candy Bear tagged along to all of our running around.  Colter was bummed because he wanted to take Candy Bear to Osage park.  There wasn't enough time...but Candy Bear had a good time at swim lessons and helping Colter put together a leggo kit.  It was fine.  We will get Candy Bear again and maybe Osage will be possible on that day.

Saying Good Bye to Good Friends...

We've known the Chesnos family since Colter and their boy, Jett, were babies.  They moved into the ward when the boys were 6-9 months old.  They are the best kind of people: fun.

Kevin worked at Pixar and has been such a nice mentor and inspiration for Lorien who wants to pursue concept art for a career.  Tiffany grew up in Billings, Montana (120 miles away from Will...which is practically next door in Montana).  We didn't discover that she grew up with Will's cousin, Shawn, until just last summer.  Shawn and Tiffany worked together and Shawn's mom was one of Tiffany's young women leaders at church.  It is always fun to make these small world connections.  

The Chesnos family are headed out to Utah to try their hand a life in the Beehive state.  We are going to miss them terribly but wish them well!  

Deacon, Colter, Gracie, and Jett.  Primary classmates forever!!!

Mucumber McGee and the Half Eaten Hot dog...

Let's see...it must have been for his seventh birthday?  Maybe sixth?  Anyway, Wyatt was gifted a couple of books we never would have picked out on our own.  His friend, Elliot, gave him two stories: Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems and MuCumber McGee and the Half-eaten Hot Dog by Patrick Loehr.  They were instant family favorites.  Over the years we have read them a thousand times.  

Last week, Colter picked MuCumber McGee for a book before we had lunch.  By the end of the story (when mother is laying out a feast), Colter was starving and asked if I could make him that for lunch.  I was not able to do so for lunch but promised I would...eventually.  It all came together for Sunday dinner tonight.  Will is in Montana for Grandma Sylvia's funeral.  We needed some help filling the time without him.  The feast was easy to put together, especially after I gave up on having an actual "plum cake" and just made a box cake with purple frosting.  It was a hit and fun to do.

Valentines...

I wonder if there will ever be a year we aren't making 50-100 Valentines for school?  Probably not...

We went the easiest route possible this year with store bought valentines.  So Colter and Adell just had to write their names on all of the cards...not too bad.

And we had our traditional Valentines spread.  I set the table and leave a little gift for each of the kids out the night before.  They get to have sugared cereal and a box of chocolates for breakfast.  I also get beautiful flowers from my Valentine.  It is a pretty good deal. 

Opening valentines from classmates is exciting and messy.  No candy this year (school rules) so just a pile of pink and red papers and knic-knacs.  Happy Valentines Day!

February odds and ends...

Colter has a good friend from school and church, Deacon.  When Deacon comes over, they play Minecraft and jump on the trampoline.  One afternoon we took the boys out for Indian food.  Deacon ate some super spicy chicken and loved it...Colter tried one bite and only ate rice after it.

Wyatt officially passed Lorien in height!  I remember saying in December when we did the measuring tree and Lorien and Wyatt were the same height "if we had waited until February (like we did the year before) Wyatt might have been taller."  I was right, by February Wyatt was the tallest kid in the house.  Real tears were shed.

Upon being forced out of the house one sunny afternoon, Lorien took the little kids for a walk to Jamba Juice.  It was a long walk that they normally make on bikes.  I went to pick them up when they were done with their juice.  Thank heavens for cell phones and rescue phone calls.

Lorien wants bangs and likes to do her makeup in interesting ways.  She has time for beauty...I do not.

Colter went to a friend's birthday party and I thought the idea was genius.  There were four activities set up and the kids got to wander between them: Slime making (just mixing in stuff to premade slime).  Build a lego car and a couple of racing ramps to run the cars down.  Marshmallow and toothpick construction.  And food/snacks.  It was brilliant!  All of the kids were entertained and no one had to organize groups of kids.  They got to wander around doing what they wanted for as long as they wanted.  I am taking notes for Colter's birthday party!

Beethoven Mass in C

Lorien's high school orchestra and choir got to play with a local orchestra and choir in a performance of Beethoven's Mass in C.  They practiced for months and it was very hard!  Lorien did not appreciate some of the crotchety old people she had to endure while practicing and playing.  I've only heard her side of the story but it sounded like they weren't super supportive or kind.  

However, Lorien did it!  She practiced and played well.  I got to hear part of a rehearsal and Will and I went to the concert in Walnut Creek.  It was amazing and I am happy she got the opportunity.  Lorien is happy it is over and is convinced she will never play with "old people" again in her life.  

A project for me...

One of the things we talked/learned about at my women's retreat was the importance of having a creative outlet and doing things that bring you pleasure.  I am the queen of putting off my own interests for my kid's...and that isn't always good.  Having a mother who is at her wit's end and not feeling fulfilled with her job doesn't make anyone happy. 

So when I got home I knew I wanted to finish a project that had been on my mind since we bought our house.  I wanted a watercolor painting of my and Will's childhood homes to hang in our homes...and I wanted to be the artist who made the paintings. 

I have no skills in watercolor.  It is a hard medium (but cost effective) and I have never taken any classes to be decent or good at it.  Still, I wanted to try and do the paintings myself.  I love to paint and wish I did it more often. 

When we moved in I tried my hand at my childhood home.  It didn't turn out very well but I learned some lessons.  Another thing I learned in this retreat was the value and importance of making mistakes.  Mistakes are the way we learn and get better.  So I took my first watercolor mistake and got started on another try.  I drew each of our houses a few times and then got started on painting them. 

I still made mistakes but I finished and I am in love with the results!  My highest compliments come from Will's side of the family on the painting of his childhood home.  He grew up in a trailer.  By the time we were engaged and I went out to Montana to meet his family, they had moved into a home and the trailer was long gone.  So I never saw his childhood home in person or pictures.  His mom found an old picture for me and I talked a lot with Will about how the house looked and what stuff was where.  Anyway, when people from his family say "that looks exactly like our trailer".  It makes me so proud and happy! 

They turned out wonderfully and I loved the creative time I got in making them.  I need to do this kind of stuff more often, for me and my family.  It is a good thing.

On the left, my home (the old Mormon church house).  On the right, Will's home (the trailer).

Alone in Utah...

A few months ago Will surprised me with tickets to a women's retreat in Utah.  He bought the tickets early and life has been busy so I didn't give the trip much thought until the departure day was almost here.  I was off to spend four days without kids talking to other mothers figuring out how we wanted to best do our jobs.  It was part therapy session, part work conference, and part dream retreat.  I spent time thinking about me and what I wanted for myself and time thinking about my family and what I wanted for them.  Then I tried to come up with ways to make it all happen...slowly.  

While I was away, Will was a full-time CEO and stay at home Dad.  He did both jobs wonderfully.  He even had to take a day trip down to Southern California for work and no one died!  

 

 

After my women's retreat, I visited my sister and brother in Centerville.  Oh, and it snowed while I was in Utah.  I had a rented car and was worried about driving in the snow but it was just like heavy rain.  All was well.  I had a lovely 18 hours with my siblings then I flew home to California...with the flu.

It started the first day of my retreat but I thought it was the uncomfortable hotel ballroom chairs I had to sit in all day.  I had a cough and my body hurt everywhere.  I chalked the cough up to the dry air in Utah.  I bought some cold medicine and a humidifier for the hotel room just in case.  The next morning, I felt even worse!  I couldn't bail on the conference (as much as I wanted to) and stay in my hotel bed all day.  So I took a fistful of cold medicine and Advil and soldered on.  By the end of the day, I knew I was sick.  It was not cool...  

Instead of staying my last night in the hotel I called my sister in Centerville and drove up there.  We talked in the car for a little bit and then went inside to surprise my brother.  I came up the stairs to his house as he rounded the corner from the hall.  We walked into each other and he just said "What?!" in the best surprised voice.  I love surprises and it was fun to show up unannounced.  

I wasn't going to tell anyone I was in Utah.  I was just going to take time for myself and do the retreat thing.  But I am so glad I went to my brother's house too.  We all had a nice visit and I got to sleep in their guest bedroom which had a bed about a thousand times more comfortable than the hotel bed.  It was also nice to be taken care of and catch up on their lives.  Too bad I had the full on flu by that point.  I couldn't eat anything and pumped myself full of drugs to make it through the flight home.  

When I got home, I crashed.  (After getting to spend the return flight next to my dear friend, Carrie)  I was sick for a week!  I couldn't get out of bed and when I did I would be laid low for hours after.  It was a mess.  Poor Will had already been doing double duty and had to keep it up while his wife was convalescing.  He was a champ and took care of everything.  I'm a lucky girl and even lucky girls get the flu sometimes.