cute girls

Hannah at school today.  She loves to wear red.

Grace went with the Streeters to the ward potluck.  She had a very fun time.  Those two girls are lucky ducks, it's so easy for them to spend time together and not a bit of inconvenience.  They just look out their bedroom windows and see each other and talk, or walk next door.  I would have loved that as a little girl!

Ethan had a soccer game and Hannah and I had to go to the store so we couldn't go but Lu lucked out and got to go anyway so the evening was well spent for us all.

Create

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty—and I am not talking about the process of cleaning the rooms of your teenage children."

Elder Dieter Uchtdorf

This has been a week of creation around here.  I bought fabric to make slipcovers for two chairs that I have never loved months ago, maybe a year ago.  But I don't know how to make slipcovers.  So I looked at them for a long time. And read about it and did some studying but no pattern buying. Finally yesterday I thought what's the worst that can happen? I waste a day and some fabric and in the end still have the same two chairs? So I decided to give it a shot.  I dragged my chair down to the basement, said a prayer and began to pin and tuck and measure and then cut and sew.  It turned out fine.  Not awesome but I liked the fabric and I have some ideas for the second one that might make it turn out even better.  Success!

This week Jodie and I had planned to make some cookies together.  Finally everyone was well and back in school and after I took Ziva out for a 14degree weather walk (brr) I closed the door to my laundry and messy kitchen and went around the block for a morning of baking fun.  We made cookie pops. It's very relaxing to decorate and to work together, my favorite kind of baking! And the cookies turned out pretty cute :)

braces...off!

 This morning Hannah got her braces off!! So exciting. She looks beautiful!!  In other news Grace is still home sick.  I am hoping she will go back to school tomorrow.  I expect she will.

Tonight we went to a parent meeting for this years STEM field trip. They are going to WV for 4 days to the NRAO.  It's going to be amazing.  They have a telescope there that is the size of 4 football fields, among other telescopes.  The kids are going to have a great time.  4 lucky adults also get to go as chaperons.  I am crossing my fingers that I am one of the lucky ones.

vomit protocol

Both girls stayed home from school today.  Grace has thrown up several times, which is sad for everyone.  She made it to the toilet just fine the first few times...then not so much. We still had girl scouts tonight but of course Grace couldn't go.  The evening went fine but we missed her.  Not much else to report except with Millie gone we go a piece of furniture back that no one's been able to sit on for years because it was always full of hair.  I forgot what a great chair it was and it's in a great spot.  It's fully occupied by someone all the time now.  It's the perfect spot to take a book and a drink and to read in the quiet and watch the world pass by the window. 

squishy

making dessert

Sunday was a good day.  I drove up to Bowie, but met Becky half way and we drove together.  We chatted all the way there and back and it felt like a quick drive.  We had a good visit.  Debbie Wilson was called to be the 2nd councillor and she was being set apart after church so that was the main purpose of our visit, then to kill two birds with one stone we called ahead and asked if we could meet with the young women presidencies after the block.  Our plan is to meet with each ward's youth leaders and ask them how things are going? what are their challenges? what's going well?  what do the girls in their ward need and how can we help?  It's always so fun to visit another ward and see friends we don't see very often.  During Sunday School we meet with Debbie and went over "what we do".  She's going to be awesome. I'm excited to get to know her and to work together. Our meetings with the girls are always my favorite we had a wonderful visit.  Debbie's setting apart was very nice.

We were fasting as a presidency for names to turn in for the stake camp director and YCL leader for next summer.  I'm hoping we get this settled quickly as we begin planning the next camp as soon as this years is over so we have to have them in place by July.  Early would be much better.  The fast went well and was easy because I was gone all day.  I got home and dinner, which I had left in the crock pot, was done and we were able to sit together and eat some yummy food and catch up on the day.

In the evening we went to the Buxton's for the Superbowl.  We had four families over and again just had a nice time visiting and watching the game and eating football food.

why do we have multiple pieces of furniture?

Hannah came home from school early feeling sick.  Grace came home on time wanting to make FHE treat.  We made a quick stop at the store and she did all the work for fruit pizza.  After dinner we had family home evening.  Ethan taught the lesson.  We all sat on the same couch, I don't know why.  You can't see Ethan in this picture but that is his knee on Hannah and his body was on me and his head on the arm of the couch.  During the lesson Grace started to feel badly.  She went upstairs without eating her dessert to take a bath and threw up in the tub :(

This is not good.

Winter Hike

Our friend Mark says there is no such thing as bad weather only bad gear. With that in mind we decided to brave the 26° morning and head out for a winter hike. We were well prepared and the only weather related complaints we heard was that the girls got too hot in their many layers.

We did three hikes, earned our animal habitat badge, had campfire time, ate lunch and had a lot of fun. 

Standing: Grace, Katie, Reagan.

Sitting: Ava, Grace, Fiona, Samantha.

New Beginnings Season

Dixie, Erin, Chrissy, Caitlin and me greeting each other at the beginning of the meeting.  Dixie and her cute family (of which Erin and Caitlin are two of) moved to our ward and our neighborhood this summer. They've been a fun addition. We are VT companions and we visit Chrissy.  Anyway, whatever the relationships or how frequently or seldom we see each other it's always a happy occasion to get together with the saints.

Last night was our ward's New Beginnings. It was also WP1 and Bayside so we had to split the presidency in order to visit them all.  On Tuesday Jamie and I went to LP's NB. It's a fun time of the year.  We love to visit the wards, to see the girls and the leaders and to enjoy the wonderful evenings they plan.  This year our mutual theme is: “O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day” (D&C 4:2).  I love this theme, it's recipe for doing what the Lord asks of us and the promise that if we do we will be clean before Him when we leave this life is amazingly awesome.   Besides being a wonderful theme it has also lent itself to lots of fun embarking ideas for New Beginnings. Hannah made the darling sailboat cookies that we had for refreshments. I have loved the nautical decorations and the powerful messages that have come with the power word embark.  

The rest of the day was nice as well.  I spent the morning with Jodie helping a sister in our ward clean.  Then after the kids were in bed I ran across the frosty grass to Darlainas (right next door!) and we watched Downton Abbey.

Kid news: Grace had lots of homework.  She's reading a book about George Washington at school and that's taking a lot of time.  She enjoyed A-days and is really looking forward to a service project that they planned last night.

Ethan has much less homework than her.  He's looking forward to the Superbowl and continues to pleasantly allow us to push him along in scouting.  He's almost as tall as me now.  Crazy! Sometimes I think about how short a time we have left until his mission (5 years).  It's too fast.  He's been helping with the laundry a lot more.  Trying to teach all the important life skills to that boy.

Hannah is now rehearsing for Sweeny Todd.  She is working on personal progress, working had at school and culinary.  Her grades are okay I wish they were a little better but she's a good girl and living a balanced life and has a lot of demands on her time.  She is also serving as the Mia Maid president and is really enthusiastic and engaged in that.

Jenna and Clayton are living with a lot of snow.  They often have friends over or go to friends and are happy.  Jenna is teaching primary and is the A-days leader in her ward.  Clayton is the ward mission leader.

Sierra just moved apartments and likes her new roomies.  They are Hawaiian and she's having a lot of fun with them.  She's graduating in April! and is planning for the next step.  Next week, I think, she's headed to AZ to spend some time with Andrea and Yoho.  Yoho has started his last round of chemo, things seem to be going very well.  He'll have 21 days and then hopefully he'll be done!  Go Yo!!!!

Dani is ready for Marshall to arrive.  The nursery is so cute, I have a ticket to go help, and he's big enough that any time is okay although he's not due for another few weeks. She and Greg are awesome parents.  I love to see them with the girls.  They are both serving with the youth and I think they're busy busy with babies, and Rosie, and callings and jobs.

What a wonderful blessing to have everyone doing well.  There are always ebbs and flows in families, challenges come and go and people have growing pains, disagreements and heartaches but for the most part we are enjoying a season of peace and success and I am very grateful for that tremendous blessing.