Lucky Day...

This was March 10, 2015...nine years since Paul had passed away. I really try not to think of this day each year, but I just can't help the horrible flashbacks and memories that accompany that day. I still find myself in tears and missing him at least once a week. It usually happens when I am driving and think of something exciting I want to tell him and realize that I can't, or I hear a song that we grew up singing together. I really do know that he is doing great things and is so happy where he is, but I wish I could see that progress and be part of his life. It has been so fun this past few months watching my other brothers have amazing experiences, but I can't help but wonder what Paul would be doing if he were here. Andrew had an art show in Toronto, and he's loving new adventures in AZ. Caleb got a new assignment from work that's taken him to China, Korea, Germany, and France all this past month. Luke and Andrea just bought their first home in Layton and are already making home improvement plans! I just love seeing them all progress and be so happy with what they are doing in life. I love that I can still hear Paul's voice, feel his bear hugs, and know that his 25 year old face is permanently fixed in my memory forever. I don't ever want to stop missing him, remembering him, wondering about what he's up to on the other side. His nephews and niece know all about him and what a special part of our family he will always be. I'm pretty sure he acts as a special guardian angel for our family!

 

So on this day, I think maybe Paul was watching out for us and sent some Jazz tickets our way. James got a random email at work saying he was an appreciated employee and could claim some tickets for our family. They were awesome seats, and it's the first NBA game any of our kids had been to. They were handing out free Jazz socks at the door, and that was the biggest excitement for them that night! Blaze loved watching the Jazz bear and his antics, Alanna loved  the dancers and stunt team, and Paul and Jackson actually got into the game. It was a much needed distraction for what could have been a sad evening for me!

Natural History Museum...

These boys were off track and needed to be pulled away from their computer games to explore the world a bit. We love the Natural History Museum in Salt Lake, especially for the architecture of the building. Sure enough, playing with the sand to make dams was one of the boys favorite things. They also talked me into going to Five Guys afterwards. I've never been, but I've always heard rave reviews about it. Just in case you were thinking of getting a veggie sandwich there...don't! It's everything but the burger patty...not even healthy veggies that I like. The boys got a kick out of my "burger" compared to theirs though!

Here the boys are comparing the DNA sequencing of humans and monkeys, pigs, dogs, etc. They were amazed at how closely we are related.

This is the gorgeous view from the observation deck. The boys also loved what they called "I Spy Scenes" throughout the museum. They would look for the list of specimens of plants and animals in each scene.

The special exhibit is "Extreme Mammals". This is one awkward looking dinosaur! The most interesting thing I learned there was that kangaroo mothers can actually carry two babies in their pouch. Her nipples produce milk consisting of different fat contents to nourish the babies needs at different stages. God's creations are so amazing!

I asked the boys to make a turtle face, not to be mistaken by "I am 10 years old and too cool to play like a little kid even though I still think it's fun" face!

Blue and Gold 2015: Every Cub is Awesome!!!

 

Paul made Lego head cupcakes for the dessert competition. Every last one of them was gone by the end of the night, and he was very happy about that.

Michelle did an amazing job as usual with the theme! There was even music from the Lego movie sound track playing in the background. I am not a Lego fanatic, so I can't say what these cutouts are actually called. The kids were drawing self portraits on them though, and they were so proud of their cute creations. They also built Lego cars and raced them down an inclined table.

The whole gym was transformed into a Lego land...so creative! One of the prizes for a game was crayon Lego men that Michelle made herself!

The kids absolutely loved the decorations, and they couldn't wait for dinner to be over to snatch some Lego Ninjago balloons.

It happened to be Taco Tuesday for dinner...yum!

I don't know where she got these ideas, but EVERYTHING was themed!

This was Jackson's cake for the competition. I asked him if he wanted to do the frosting himself even though it might not look perfect. He reminded me of James trying to make a dessert...so stubborn and wouldn't listen to any tips at all! And he wouldn't stop spreading the frosting which made things look worse and worse. But I thought he had a very clever idea at the last minute...he made Lego construction men out of Starburst candies to save his cake!

Vacation Day...

We have definitely got our money out of our Thanksgiving Point membership this year! They never tire of the Natural Curiosity museum, and it's been such a relief to have somewhere to take them during the winter months when they are stir crazy. And they want me to take pictures of EVERYTHING they do there! These are just a few from this trip.

Saturday at Home Depot...

I remember way back when we lived in our first home in VA thinking that after we got it fixed up I'd never have to go to Home Depot again! Hahahaha! I never imagined that the projects just don't end...even when we bought a brand new home. Especially since we bought a brand new home and had to put in the backyard and basement. Luckily our kids love Home Depot, and one of the reasons is the car shopping carts. I couldn't resist getting some pictures of the kids getting along so well.

Happy birthday Dr. Suess!

I committed a major offense this year (according to my kids) when I forgot that it was Dr. Suess's birthday and didn't have our traditional green eggs and ham meal ready! I hope I redeemed myself by celebrating a day later though. And this year I let the kids make the "Oh the Places You'll Go..." cookies on their own. I had to close my eyes and finally leave the kitchen while they finished up because most of them turned out looking like gray piles of poop, but they had fun and ate them anyway!

Toothless Alanna...

My baby girl finally lost her two front teeth. I always feel like this is a sign that my kids have really passed through that baby stage and are starting to look "grown up". It's kind of sad, but I have to admit that I couldn't stand seeing the teeth hanging by strands for weeks! Alanna had speech therapy this past summer and worked very hard to pronounce her "r" sounds properly. After loosing her front teeth, she worked really hard trying to figure out how to properly say her "s" sound! She's become quite a critic of proper speech these days, and she has been trying out the techniques she learned on Blaze. Maybe she will grow up to be a speech therapist herself!

Amazing Ladies!

 

Cassie, Katie, Kristi...the most amazing ladies that I have had the privilege to work with in my church calling for the past 1.5 years! We all grew to be even closer friends as we worked together in the Primary and met every other week for our life "therapy sessions"! These ladies have taught me so much on a spiritual level as well as we taught the kids and sought guidance to solve challenges we've had. Katie just recently moved out of state, which is so exciting for her, but I will miss her so much! And we lost Cassie to the Young Women's group, but at least I still see her almost everyday through school activities. We will continue to share our dessert obsession and baking addiction. And Kristi remains a stalwart councilor as she has battled some health challenges these past few months. So it's sad that this group isn't the same, but I'm so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with them!