Quarterly Catch-up

I’ve been in a bit of a blogging slump for the last few months (or years).  I’m trying to do better.  Even when I was more consistent about blogging, there were lots of little things that were overlooked.  In an effort to stay more current and to have a place to put all of the little things that don’t make it into their own blog post, I’ve decided to do a quarterly post that will act as a catch-all for all of the things that were missed.  This first installment will span January-March of this year.

Minor Surgery:

Nate had a mole on his leg removed and the lab results came back saying that the surrounding tissue was abnormal.  He went back in and had a chunk of skin about the size of a quarter removed from his leg.  He thought it was pretty cool to watch the whole procedure as they cut open his leg, took out a hunk, and sewed him back up.  He regretted that he didn’t take a video to show me.  I assured him that I was fine with missing it.  He was tough and was running around playing laser tag with the kids later that night.

Morning Scripture Study:

Ben and I are having a contest to see who can read the Book of Mormon first.  I’m giving him a head start.  I told him to let me know when he finishes Alma.  He likes to sit on the heater vent in the morning to do his reading.

Lockets:

The girls got gift cards to Claire’s for Christmas.  They bought some clip-on earrings and a set of Best Friends Forever lockets. 

Bella Dancerella:

We were watching home movies one day and Abby saw the girls (and Ben) dancing with the Bella Dancerella DVD.  It’s been so long since the girls used the DVD, that Abby didn’t know we even had it.  She pulled out the dance mats and wands and spent the next few days watching the DVD and doing the dances over and over again.

Baptisms for the Dead:

My mom was watching the kids on a Saturday and, due to a series of miscommunications, Ben missed out on going with the young men to do baptisms for the dead at the Brigham City Temple.  He had really been looking forward to it and I felt bad about him missing it.  Nate called the baptistry and they said we could bring him right up.  It turned out to be a great experience for the three of us to be in the temple together and to have Nate baptize and confirm Ben.

Skiing:

Nate went skiing with the scouts.  He helped Ben and Tucker earn their Snow Sports Merit Badge and spent the rest of the night hanging out with the girls.  All four of them had a great time.

Hockey Game:

We got free tickets to an Ogden Mustangs hockey game.  It turned out to be a really fun family night.  Abby made friends with Murray the Mustang and he gave her a hockey puck.  She couldn’t have been more excited.

Stadium Chairs:

We scored a killer deal on some stadium chairs at RC Willey.  Our crazy kids hung out on them for hours playing telephone and “Would You Rather?”

Hobbit Feet:

The kids dared each other to run through the backyard barefoot, “like hobbits.”  Everyone but Abby made it to the gate and back (multiple times).

Henny Penny:

Emily was Henny Penny in her class play.  She had a big part and did a great job at memorizing all of her lines.  (I didn’t have my camera, but my friend sent me a picture she took with her phone.)

Scandinavian Cookies:

Jody gave us a set of rosettes to make Scandinavian Cookies over a year ago and we had never used them.  Ben decided we needed to make some for our family home evening treat.  They were amazingly delicious!  We decided that we need to bust them out more often.

Friends:

Our kids spend lots of time with friends, but I rarely take pictures.  Here are a few cute ones from the last couple of months.

Artwork:

Ben had to do a twist on American Gothic for an art project.  Nate named it American Gotham.

Emily did a mirror image of a picture from a magazine.  It turned out amazing.  She has mad art skills. 

Trampoline:

We set up the trampoline the first week of March.  I love that every year it is like a whole new toy for the kids.

Zoo:

The kids had a random Friday off school a couple of weeks ago.  When we found out Jody and Sarah were going to the zoo, we decided to head down and join them.  The weather was lovely and we had a fun day together.

Sarah:

I babysat Sarah while Jody was getting her taxes done.  I forgot how busy a two-year-old can be.  This is what happened when I left her alone for two minutes to wash her hands.

Daddy’s Girls:

Just a couple of cute pictures of Nate with the girls.  They are sure lucky to have him for a dad.

Notable Quotes:

Elise (in the JCPenney bathroom): “They charge 25 cents just for a napkin?  What a rip off!”

Ben: “Do you have an armpit stick I can try.”