What a week!

We have had a fantastic week, and I even have some pictures to prove it!

Last week, Jane and Ellie (her cousin) started taking a community ballet class together. I assumed that being there together, they would both dance their little hearts out and laugh and giggle together. Turns out, Jane doesn't have the attention span yet to participate the entire 50 minutes, and Ellie was a little hesitant at first. The girls made progress their second week and overall it's been a really fun thing for them. I have to admit that it's been fun for Heidi and I to giggle at these little three and four year olds prancing around the stage in their leotards and tights. Few things are cuter. I particularly enjoy watching Jane, who loses her footing unexpectedly several times during the class (I'm laughing just thinking about it!). Luckily, she's been trained (thank you, Jack) to take a hit and keep on going! Aren't these two ballerinas adorable? The teacher first asked if they were sisters or twins. Heidi said, "cousins". I guess they look alike?

I took this picture later that night after Jane had shown off her twinkle toes to Jeff. Jack came out with their "toy of the week" (we JUST pulled it out since Thailand and they've been out non-stop!), and she immediately switched from sweet, girly ballerina, to accomplished swordswoman. The influence of an older brother is priceless! She's so lucky.

As I've said before, Jack is really enjoying his school here. One thing he's missed since we've been in the States though, are his special Friday mornings with Daddy. Jeff used to go in late every Friday so he could walk Jack to school and they could have some extra time together. So, I was happy when Jeff made it work to take Jack to his "Breakfast with Books" morning at his school. Jack was thrilled (although the picture really doesn't show it well!) to have Jeff all to himself, and to do something they both love... eat donuts. Oh, and they both like to read, so that was a good bonus as well.

We had one of my favorite visits with my Grandma Rich this week. I love this woman. She is turning 98 this month and still doing really well and is always fun to chat with. She is losing a bit of her short-term memory (hello, she's almost 98!), but I discovered this week that it's not all bad when visiting with the kids and me.

For example... Jack and Jane were SO excited to show her their newly acquired stickers they had received from the valet at my doctor's appointment just before we arrived. As kids do, they showed her again and again, explaining WHY theirs was so cool and where they got it. Each time, Grandma responded with absolutely genuine excitement for them. (As a mom, maybe some short-term memory loss would perk me up a bit for the 20th time I've heard about something!)

Also, we decided to take Jack's violin to play for her this time. She was SO excited when he first got it out and played a few numbers for her. She was a fantastic audience. When Jack was done, we visited for a while, then I asked him to put it away so we could get going and let Grandma rest. As he started to put it away, she asked, "is that Jack's violin?". I answered, "Yes, it is". She excitedly asked, "well, would he like to play something for me?". Jack was completely flattered that Grandma wanted to hear more and happily played her a few more.

My kids really enjoy going to visit their great-grandma, and it is so fun to see Jane JUMP into her arms and happily kiss her on the cheek. Jack's a little more casual about the visits, but he was excited to share his talent, especially after I shared with him the countless memories I have as a child of playing my violin in old folks homes and how happy it makes them. My one regret... NOT having my camera with me. I hate these poor quality photos, especially with something as precious as spending time with Grandma.

We had a special treat on our way out of Grandma's place. An older gentleman was just finishing up a Marimba performance for a group, so we stopped so the kids could see his awesome instrument. He was a doll and stopped everything to greet the kids and even pulled out his mallets to give them each a try. He even had me play "chopsticks" on the marimba while he accompanied me on the piano. He said, "I could have you ready to perform in a MONTH!". I was terrible, so I'm sure it would take a lot more than that! It was fun nonetheless, and great for the kids to see a completely different kind of instrument.

Can I just say I hope I'm as enjoyable as an old person as the old people I've been surrounded with? My goodness, they are all priceless!

Saturday was the start of our Conference Weekend, as we call it. It's where our church, world-wide, gets to hear from our church leaders. Here in Utah, we can stay at home and just watch them on TV on both Saturday and Sunday. It's a fun weekend to be together, learn, grow, and enjoy traditions we've had, or start new ones.

Our day started early for a weekend, so by about 6:30 the usual ritual of Saturday morning began. The kids were crawling in bed with Jeff and me. We all cuddled and visited until the three-to-five year old wrestling tournament inspired Jeff to get up and head to the gym. He was gone, so the fort building started to take place in OUR room of course, involving every blanket and pillow in the house. And this time, most of the stuffed animals as well. I LOVE when this is a part of our mornings because the kids are busy, happy, and together. Their fort wasn't turbo-creative this week, but I just loved the expressions on their faces in this one.

We had a big snowfall that night, which created a GREAT chance for the kids to get out and burn a little energy before the first session. At least someone was excited about all that snow in APRIL! By the way, toy dumptrucks are a great snow toy.

We enjoyed a crepe breakfast (my first time, and quite successful, I have to say, except for the serious lack of strawberries!), and the kids LOVED their Conference BINGO cards. Thanks Carol! It was hilarious to watch them try to find anything on the TV that meant they could eat a treat. Jack was so easily distracted that Jane was the one who was mostly finding the right faces, topics, and pictures. She was right on, and it made Jeff and I laugh to watch her helping Jack find the right squares at the right time. Maybe she just really wanted those chocolates!

Jack being a nut...

And Jane doing her version...

Jack and Jane definitely didn't last the entire two Saturday sessions, which was all right with us. They disappeared into Jack's room for a long time (which turned out GREAT because Jeff and I really did want to listen!), and we discovered what Jack had been working on a little later. This is his latest invention. He tied his surgical tubing, which he does almost everything with, to his top bunk in very impressive knots, and then made a zip-line for his bucket to the doorknob. He also had it just right so he could tie the bucket to the top until he needed it. He's currently working on a way to pull it back up without having to get off the bunk. This kid has never needed more than string/rope/tubing to keep him happy!

We also enjoyed a little outing to meet Jason (Jeff's twin) and his family at the park for the big launch of Jason's birthday rocket. Very cool! The kids were SO excited, and it was fantastic! Here are a few more pictures of our rocketing experience, if you're interested! I LOVE pictures of these two together. What could be more fun than two grown men acting like 12 year olds (which they usually turn into when they're together anyway!) and shooting off a purple rocket (Ellie picked the color)? The rocket was awesome, but watching these two together was by FAR my favorite part.

The kids and I headed to the Hillmans to visit while the men were at the Priesthood session. It was fun to all be together (I have the best in-laws). The kids especially enjoyed the tumbling demonstration by Scott, which I still can't believe he did in his suit, and the horsey rides to follow. Jack and Jane are pretty physical, so they love anyone new to wrestle around with. Jason and Scott were great sports!

We had a wonderful Sabbath today with my side of the family as we celebrated the blessing of sweet baby Drew at the Croshaw's home, followed with conference and lunch. It is so awesome to have family so close by and be able to be together for these special events. The cousins couldn't be happier than when they're together and I just love being involved in the everyday ins and outs of my sister's and brother's families, and all my nieces and nephews. Isn't family what it's all about?

It was a GREAT day.

Jeff turns 31!

Our big event this week was Jeff's birthday! My goodness, some days I feel like we are getting so old! But honestly, has 31 ever looked so good?

Jeff's not really one who's big into presents, so we decided to make Jeff a super-duper candy birthday card. Jack totally got into it and was SO anxious to be by my side for every step. He even designed the front cover! (that's a bird, by the way)

I was hoping he'd add a little to the inside as well, as I'm definitely not a creative person, but by that point, he'd decided he'd contributed enough. This was a fun and simple way to do something for Jeff on his special day, and if you know my husband, you probably know that food makes him happy. Although, you certainly wouldn't know that by looking at him!

We also enjoyed meeting him for a birthday lunch downtown, which ended with us all going home after for naps, seeing as Jeff has been feeling pretty sick all week. But hey, naps? Sounds like a good day to me!

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of either of our birthday dinners with Jason (Jeff's twin brother) and his family. Why is it I don't get pictures with the people we see most often? Note to self: get some of those.

Our whole week really was quite nice, except for the snow almost every day. Weather here is so unpredictable this time of year, so we're trying to enjoy what days we actually can enjoy leaving the house.

Jane and I spent some time at a baby shower for my cousin on Saturday. It's not too uncommon for her to fall asleep in the car during a longer drive, but I always feel bad with these built-in carseats because there's nowhere for her to lay her head during the journey. She works it out okay in the end. I couldn't help but get a picture of her. Goodness, she's sweet.

Saturday ended up being one of the only good afternoons for getting out all week. I made everyone go outside to keep me company while I planted the pansies Jeff bought last weekend. I haven't the least idea what I'm doing in a garden, but can I really make it worse? Jeff gave our garage a much needed makeover, and the kids rode bikes and smashed rocks with some neighbor girls. What could be more fun? We ended our productive afternoon by making the most of this dang wind. We took the kite to the school and flew it as high as it would go.

I took so many pictures while we were out. When we do things like flying a kite, I can't help but ask myself why we don't do it more often. Flying a kite is such a simple pleasure. It's such a small thing, yet brings 100 times more smiles than any of those fancy toys kids think they want. On a windy day, why would you need anything else?

Jack was so thrilled to show Jane how to do it. (And Jeff and I were thrilled the wind was just right to take it up as soon as we let it go. Although I was prepared to do the "up, kite up!" routine that got Frog and Toad's kite flying so well. Anyone else Frog and Toad fans?)

They got pretty good at taking turns by the end, but maybe two kites wouldn't be a bad idea.

They were so enthralled with it. And notice Jane's sweater mis-buttoned. I love it.

Jeff and I were happy we didn't need to run with it to get it up, but I guess that's half the fun!

I love the look on her face. Joy.

And, of course, they wanted to fly it home. I love Jack in the background.

What a GREAT way to end the day! What kinds of activities do you have in your "simple pleasures" category? What are you looking forward to most this summer?

And one last random picture from this morning...

After getting the kids ready for church, and then letting them play while Jeff and I tried to get ready, they called us in the see their pirate ship. Jack was quite proud of his "sail" (notice the blanket spread over the ladder, bottom right), and Jane and Jack had each come up with a way to make a canon for the top of the ship. Jack's is a vacuum attachment (that thing has done WAY more things than just keep our carpets clean), and Jane's was a spool of wrapping ribbon that apparently doubles as a telescope.

I LOVE hearing them giggle and play together. No sound could make me happier.

Goodbye, training wheels!

Lately, I'm feeling like a blog slacker. I am terrible to take pictures of what we're doing, and currently, my life just seems pretty uneventful. Don't get me wrong, sometimes uneventful is what I would prefer. That usually means that things are running pretty smoothly in our home, and generally they are. What a blessing it is to live a very ordinary life! It just doesn't make a blog very exciting! So, this one is for people who must love us a LOT to want to read about our "ho-hum" little Utah lives that right now seem quite nice.

Probably our biggest event this week was relieving one of my biggest sources of "mom-guilt" that I accrued while living in Thailand. That would be... Jack not having a good place to ride his bike. Since we've been here, any day that didn't have snow on the ground, he's been out riding. Finally, we had a week where it was sunny, warm, and we could take those training wheels off and let him go. He learned SO quickly, and we had a blast outside together helping him! (Notice Jane in full winter gear. She's just now figuring out that even though we're in Utah, she doesn't ALWAYS need her coat, mittens, and hat, because occasionally it's not necessary!)

I have a very vivid memory of my mom taking me out and teaching me to ride my sister's banana-seat bicycle when I was about Jack's age. After telling Jack that story, he really wanted me to run along side him. I did for a bit, but being 32 weeks pregnant, my body was not agreeing with it for long! Luckily, Jeff was super-dad and stepped right in. He even wanted a turn of his own.

Since Jack has become so independent on his bike (and the weather's been so beautiful), we've been out every day of the week for as long as we possibly can. It's been fantastic. I even got a small start on the yard work while the kids rode all over with the neighborhood gang. I loved it.

We had a fantastic weekend spent with family and close friends. My parents were nice enough to take the kids for the evening and let Jeff and I enjoy a night out. It was wonderful to spend the evening with my best friend and enjoy uninterrupted conversation. We didn't have to talk 90 mph to finish before we forgot what we were talking about!

I loved spending time with my nieces and nephews the next morning (which of course, I didn't get pictures of because I'm a slacker), but I LOVED holding my newest nephew Drew and kissing him as much as he'd allow. That's the good thing about six-week-olds, they don't have much say in the matter. He made me really baby-hungry, so good thing I've got one on the way!

We spent the afternoon at our good friend's home, the Heatons. When we left for Thailand, they lived just the next block over and we spent hours together visiting, letting the kids play, and they fed us a lot of delicious Italian food. It was a little weird to come back and not have them close by anymore. We finally worked our way down to Orem (only about ten minutes from my parent's house) and went to visit.

The kids had a blast playing with their four boys in their neighborhood playground, and with all their fun toys. Jack was in awe with how many remote-controlled toys they have! This one was a spider, and made Jane quite nervous at first.

Jack and Jane rode around for a LONG time on their little motorbike. Jack was feeling pretty tough, and Jane was just loving the ride. I could watch them play and laugh together like that all day.

Next time, maybe I'll get a picture of everyone together? I told you... slacker.

Today we had one of our Bangkok friends come to visit with his mother. It was fun to see Wyatt and catch up on his life and happenings. Since he left Thailand, he spent another semester abroad in China, and is now just looking for work (and according to his mom, he's also looking for a wife!). Of course, no picture of Wyatt who was busily stringing bead after bead on some string for Jane's necklace, but I thought this was a good one of Jack with his mom, Sally, who was helping him crochet a bracelet for me. Jack sure takes to Grandmothers! Who can blame him, he sure loves his own!

We (by we, I mean Jeff, because all I really am doing at this point is trying to make it so he doesn't need to do anything but the basement!) continue to progress on the basement. Jeff's slowed down a bit, as he isn't finding duct work to be nearly as intriguing or as fast moving as the framing. But, he's almost done now, and is looking forward to starting the wiring this week. Isn't he awesome?

I've really been enjoying feeling like we're in a routine at our house. I love filling each day with something different. I love having enough activities to keep us happy and busy, yet time enough to be flexible when need be. I am also loving being pregnant. I guess I should have expected this pregnancy to be different than the others since I'm a bit older and each pregnancy takes its toll. I've hurt a little more with this one, but because of that, I feel extremely aware of this baby. My other pregnancies were a BREEZE and besides my babies moving inside of me and the usual excitement and anticipation, I didn't feel even all that aware of being pregnant (or at least that's how I remember it!). I already feel really close to this little girl inside of me. I love talking with Jack and Jane about their sister and having them talk to her and give her kisses goodnight. Jane loves to lay on my tummy and feel her kick her own tummy. How could I not love having my two girls so close? To say the least, we are VERY excited about her arrival in less than two months. We aren't ready, but we are excited. I know I say this a lot, but honestly... life is good.