Star Student

 Emma got to be the Star Student the week of her birthday, and she loved that. She worked so hard on her poster and was excited that I let her use her glitter paints from Christmas.

The Stair Master- Kind Of

 This little guy can climb the stairs like a pro. We haven't been able to teach him to go down safely, though. The other kids caught on to that so fast, but this guy insists an trying head first, so that is a problem...

This was one of his first times all the way up (way back in October... sorry) and he was so proud of himself. Emma was his little cheerleader and guardian angel, just in case he had a stumble.

Inversion = Sickness

This little guy got really sick and was down for a couple of weeks. It was really strange to see him so lethargic. The kid is the definition of perpetual motion. Emma got sick too and actually had to stay home from school for an entire week. Sara got a minor cold but got through the season mostly unscathed. Ross got a nasty head cold, but had to work through it, poor guy. He was miserable for a few days. I got strep throat which cleared right up as soon as I realized what it was and got the meds I needed, and I also ended up in the ER one day with some pretty intense stomach pains. Some good meds helped with that too. They aren't sure if it was a bacterial infection or a parasite of some sort, so they gave me a prescription for both. I felt better in about a week. Mr. Luke has been teething constantly for a couple of months, so he has had fevers and drooling, and now he has a gross runny nose, but other than that he is his wonderful happy self. Right now Ross and I are both feeling a cold coming on, but have been fighting it like crazy with EmergenC. It has been weird because we generally don't all get sick for so long. I have scrubbed the house from top to bottom with bleach more than once, and we still keep getting hit.That inversion really messed with our immune systems. We are welcoming the warmer weather with open windows.

I Love When it is Emma's Turn to Set the Table

 She gave us both Snack Packs and made sure that mine was caramel since I don't like chocolate and wrote Daddy's note in blue for BYU. She really put a lot of thought into it. She may be stubborn and sassy, but she also has a sweet streak a mile long!

Proof of Brilliance

How smart is this?! This was Sara's idea, and when I saw it I laughed out loud, and then quickly grabbed the camera. Honestly, I am a little bugged that I never thought of this!

Toys are Useless

 Seriously, you guys-- this kid has no need for toys! He played with this empty pitcher with a lemon rind in the top for 20 minutes. That is like 8 years in little baby time!

A Good Sign of Spring

 We love sidewalk chalk over here. I can always tell spring is about to come when the bathtub gets that colorful ring around the tub.

 It was still pretty chilly, but we jumped at the first sign of a warmish evening.

 Notice all that snow across the street. I love being on the North side!

 This little guy was too sick and too small to join in the chalking so we just snuggled and enjoyed watching everyone else.

 Ross made a fearsomely artistic pirate ship and they mapped out a voyage for treasure.

I really love that guy. My kids hit the Daddy Jackpot!

The Promised Aquarium Trip

 We went to the Aquarium on the Saturday after Emma's birthday as we had promised, and it was a lot of fun. We even bought a membership, so this will be a regular event from here on out.

 We got there just in time for story time, and the kids got to hear funny stories about sharks and were able to see and handle a real shark jaw.

 The sting ray pool, which was a bit boring since they had to move all the best stingrays in with the shark tank because they kept jumping out.

 The otters liked Jack. They did all kinds of fun stuff just for him.

 This one came up and chattered at him for a while. He was so excited.

It was a fun trip, and we are excited to go back again and again. This is a fun thing to support out here.

Emma's Birthday

 Emma got her first present bright and early on her birthday. I had won a fun Tinkerbelle bag full of little nail polish bottles and a fun manicure set at Bunko the night before and I knew just what to do with it.

She got to pick her favorite breakfast (poptarts) and got money for school lunch that day-- all pretty big luxuries around here. Later that day I came to her class with cupcakes that she got to pass out which was a lot of fun for her. I sure wish that class didn't have 34 kids, though because those store bought treats get spendy!

When she got home from school we waited for Daddy to get home and then she got to pick what she wanted for dinner. She had been insistent for weeks that she wanted to go to Red Lobster. This was not my favorite idea since it is so far from our house and super expensive, and I am not even sure she actually likes seafood all that much. That being said, I didn't want to go back on my word of her being able to have whatever she wanted so we headed out.

On the way I asked her why she really wanted to go there and she finally admitted that she liked seeing the tank of lobsters. This, I could work with. Ross and I had been talking about going to the aquarium for a while, so we worked out a deal that we would go somewhere else that night and would go to the aquarium on Saturday which would mean she could see lobsters AS WELL as otters and penguins and lots of other fun creatures. She happily agreed, and we used some coupons at Olive Garden instead and my meal came with a free dessert, so I got her a chocolate cake. She loved it!

After dinner, we headed over to Target to fulfill another birthday promise. She has asked for new shoes, but she wanted to be able to pick them out herself. We ended up getting two fun pairs because she needed them, and we got a great deal on them. She was thrilled!

When we got home, she got ready for bed and then opened a few presents from us.

 Flowers to make clips with from Sara as well as some cute shirts.

 A bike basket.

 Daddy got her a big box of crayons and a giant coloring book. She loved it!

 A princess cup and slippers. She asked for these every day that month.

 Sidewalk chalk from Jack.

 Jack the photo-bomber.

 On Sunday we had my family over for cake and more gifts. There was supposed to be breakfast food as per Emma's request, but I was too sick to comply. I was also too sick to take any pictures, so hopefully I can scrounge up a few from family members. She got some lovely books, clothes, blankets and toys and loved all of them.

Both of her nights were pretty low-key, but she loved every minute of them. She is such a grateful little soul and I am so glad that she is so easy to please. I love this little young lady so very much!

Super Hero Party

This guy got invited to his first birthday party, and he loved it! He even got to wear the cape Aunt Heather made him for Christmas.

Late Night Ice Cream Run In Style

 Emma has had a problem with some Molluscum warts which wouldn't be a big deal if they didn't keep getting infected. One night there was a really bad one that I had to drain for her, and it was not easy for her. It hurt, and it was bleeding which made her light headed, but she hung in there like a trooper and tried to be bas brave as she could. After we were done and had a nice Hello Kitty bandaid in place, Ross suggested we reward her courage with some ice cream. I think he just really wanted some and was looking for any excuse possible, and this presented him with a good one. When we told the kids to get ready, this is how Jack was dressed. The boy takes his surprise, late-night ice cream runs seriously!

Freddy the Penguin Take II

 Freddy the Penguin came to visit again. Emma practiced the piano and took him to piano lessons with her, which was the highlight of his day.

Dream House

Emma had to design and create a dream house in art one day. She wanted it to be tall so that it would have an elevator (she LOVES elevators). It has a lot of levels, and each was dedicated to a different person. After she ran out of people she added levels for things like clothes, kittens, gummy bears, glitter, and movies. I love her creative little mind!

Frozen Fog

 This winter was crazy cold, and we had more than a month of temperatures well below 0. I didn't like much about that gross inversion and ridiculous coldness, but I did love this amazing effect it had on my trees. Frozen fog is gorgeous.

Rise and Shout!

In art class, Emma was supposed to make a picture of something she was excited about. She chose to make a lovely portrait of a cougar with the words GO BYU! written all over it.

When We're Helping, We're Happy

The girls love helping me make cookies for neighbors. Sara is also showing off her cute birthday outfit from Grandma Goodman.

Emma's Haircut

 It is no secret that I have been trying to get Emma to cut her hair for some time now. While her long hair was beautiful, it has been a pain to take care of. It was super curly and it was like pulling teeth to get Emma to let me wash and brush it every day.

One day Emma saw a commercial on TV that said Great Clips was offering free Disney on Ice tickets to any girl who donated hair to Locks of Love. She turned and asked us what that meant, and we explained to her that sometimes when people get sick with cancer, they lose their hair and that Locks of Love is a way for people to make wigs for those sick people. She said she wanted to do that, so after school the next day, I took her in. When we got there, we found out that the deal for the Disney on Ice tickets was only for the previous Saturday and was now over.

I had assumed that Emma's desire to do this was because of the tickets, so I turned to leave. Emma stopped me and said, "Wait, are they still going to give my hair to someone who is sick?" I told her they would, and she said, "Then where are we going?" I had underestimated her. She would have enjoyed the ice show, but I absolutely love that her main motivation in doing this was to help someone with cancer.

I think she looks adorable, and she loves that she can do her hair on her own now since it is shorter and much less curly than it was.

I am so proud of this wonderful girl who is so beautiful inside and out.