Homecoming

They're back!  Grandma and Grandpa are home from their 18 month mission to Kenya!  Let's just say that my children ate them up.

We "watched" a movie (all the adults were sacked out within 10 minutes of the moving starting).

Grandpa taught us how to play "Mexican Trains."

My parents came for a visit.

 We surely enjoyed their love in our home.  Their calming influence reduce the noise level significantly.  The cracks in my hands healed because I didn't do any dishes.  (And, they left the VIBE here, so they have to come back.  Hooray!)

Playing Ketchup

OK.  I have nothing to blog, because I've been LAZY!

Maddie learned about money.

 Eddie free-stands.

 Austin and Andy made a cake for pack meeting.

 Maddie went to Emily's school.

 My little boys are so cute!

The Kitchen is Closed

Austin is in Seattle for his parents mission homecoming this weekend, so I decided that today my kitchen would be closed.  Ha!  Although we ate Wendy's for dinner, I still found myself washing a pile of dishes at 8:45 this evening.  Those dishes belonged to the whole wheat bread, the caramel popcorn, and the brownies that I baked today.  The day the kitchen was supposed to be closed.  Perhaps I'll have more success if I try again tomorrow.

 Here are my clean-sleeping children all ready for Sunday morn. (Maisie and Nick read that pile of books on the headboard before they fell asleep.)

Be MIne

Valentine's Day was a success!
 Austin made cowboys eggs for breakfast while did the girls' hair and nails.

   Nick, Maddie, Eddie and I helped in both Maisie's and Meg's classroom parties.

 (Maddie stayed still by playing iPad.)

 The kids came home with tons of loot.

 Shockingly enough I haven't eaten ANY of theirs, just ALL of mine.  Someone, give me some control!

February

So quickly I find myself zooming through week after week.  I rarely take pictures any more.  But, here is what has/is happening during these first few weeks of February.

We celebrated Super-Bowl Monday.

Last Friday the married couples went to the church for our very own Valentine's Dance.  We ate delicious Austin-Italian cuisine, danced to DJ Ricky's music, and celebrated Mom's birthday with a scrumptious creation a-la-Mindy.  It was a rare treat. 

Nick plays in the snow everyday.

 Today we prepared valentines.

Austin and Eddie while working on valentines.

Snow

We've had so much snow that we can no longer see the mound in the front yard.  I love it!

 Winter and Summer

You Clever Girl

I feel like I was certainly very clever this week:
Meg's Science Fair Project

Arranged a family date night that was so fun -- bowling and dinner.  I loved watching the boys chuck the ball down the lane with two hands, bowl with their left hands, and bowl from the carpet.  John did better in the crazy second round....

Our dinner conversation was one for the record book.

And I sewed all day today.  Naturally Eddie ate rocks, fell off the couch and was dumped out of the toy shopping cart.  (Andy finally came home to save the day.)

This kleenex dispenser was my favorite item of the day.  Can't wait to use it in church tomorrow.

 Maddie's "hight" skirt.

 Scripture Baegs.  Maybe I should sew one for TAMC.

Tomorrow is my first day as the new ward choir director.  Wish me luck!

Good Free Family Fun

We went to SLC yesterday for some free family fun.