Time Flies when you're having fun!

I know that many people don't like January because it seems like such a let down after the holidays.  For me, it's more of a time to regroup and set things in order because once Valentine's Day hits, it's a mad dash to the end of the school year, then the fun craziness of summer, followed by jumping into another school year, the holidays, and before you know it **BAM** another year is over.  This year has been no exception.  Here are some of the many things that have kept us busy in the 5 weeks separating Valentine's Day and Spring Break . . .

 First of all, I'd just like to say how much I love the ladies and families in our current ward.  The above picture doesn't even represent a fraction of the wonderful women I get to associate with here.  They are all amazing and so talented.  I love how I get to  benefit from each of their individual talents.  AND they are so dang fun to hang out with!  Whether it's meeting at the park, running/exercising, Ladies' Night Outs to dinner, movies, or icecream, being spiritually fed together at Relief Society meetings, chatting at baby showers, getting together for dinner/dessert, meeting for playgroup, family movie days at the library, or shopping for new clothes -- I absolutely love any chance I get to associate with these wonderful women!  They have helped me to stay busy and feel loved, thus making the time while Chris is away so much more bearable and go by more quickly.  Thank you Ladies!!

 

We have had spurts of warm weather and sunshine - and we have taken advantage of it!  I love hanging out at the park and that Florida sunshine!

Here is  the kiddos trying to see how many people they can squeeze onto the tire swing . . .

Going for a walk at Turkey Creek with another one of my good friends.  So, so fun.

Okay, other random things that have been going on with me/the family:

1. Broken Water Heater.  We were without hot water for 5 days and I'll tell you what, it gave me a huge appreciation for all those people who have to lug water around all the time.  A huge thank-you goes out to my wonderful neighbors/friends who let us borrow their showers and tried to help us fix the tank.  The funny part about this situation was that Aly was too embarrassed to take a shower at somebody else's house, so she sucked it up and took cold showers.  She's tough!

2. 20 Questions at dinner.  I was getting tired of playing "guess that movie quote" at dinner so I introduced the girls to this game.  They LOVE it!  Every night we're trying to guess what book/movie somebody is thinking of.  Kylie likes to play to and is always thinking of "the temple!" which is super cute.

3. Family Games.  We've reintroduced this tradition at the end of family home evening.  I forgot how excited the kids can get over Candyland or UNO.  It's helping Kylie learn her numbers and colors, the little ones just like to be included, and the older ones love trying to reverse, skip, and "draw four" each other.   Plus, it's nice to have us all having fun together with nobody fighting - very refreshing.

4. Mud Run - as I've gotten into this running group, we all decided to do a 5K Mud Run together - and with our spouses!  Chris should be back a week or two beforehand, so we are going to spend our 13th anniversary running in the mud together - it doesn't get better than that! ;)
5. Feeding the missionaries.  (No relation to the below picture.)  We have Elders and Sisters serving in our ward and so I thought it would be totally fine to have them over for dinner.  Come to find out when they showed up that the Elder's weren't allowed inside without a priesthood holder.  So the Elder's ended up eating out on the back porch while it was only about 50 degrees outside!!  No worries though, the girls did a puppet show for them through the window.  It was a hoot!

Okay, I don't have anything to say about this random picture except that we eat a lot of breakfast for dinner when Chris is gone, and one night one of my pancakes accidentally ended up looking like a lady bug so I turned it into one for Kate and decided to take a picture.  The end.

The kids have also been having lots of fun with their friends as well.  Aly and Analise have discovered a few friends within bike riding distance that they have played with a few times after school.  Also, I let Aly invite some friends over for a "late night" to thank her for all the babysitting she's been doing for me.  It looks like they're having fun, doesn't it?

Kylie has been loving her little preschool group.  Here are a few pictures from the last time we had it at our house.  We did the letter "X", made X-rays, and went on a treasure hunt for "X marks the spot."

Here are the kids outside blowing their bubbles we found in the "treasure."

 

For St. Patrick's Day Kate lost her first tooth.  She was SO excited.  Can you tell?

I was able to attend Aly's Spring Chorus Concert and it was amazing!  There were 4 5th Grade Chorus groups from the 4 different elementaries, along with some middle school, high school, and college chorus groups.  Out of all of that, Aly was one of the 8 soloists.  She really is so talented.

Here's a picture of Aly and I on a Mother-Daughter Date at the college production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream".  (We're trying to show the set in the background, but it didnt' really work out.)  So fun to hang out with her.  We went to dinner first and it was hilarious watching her try to figure out how to act like an adult at a restaurant.  Next we got blizzards at Dairy Queen and then hit the play.  A guy in our ward was in it and the whole thing was hilarious - totally hammed up and left me wanting to speak rhymes in the thespian way.

 

I was also able to attend Aly's Middle School Open house with her a few weeks ago.  Totally made me excited for her and all the fun opportunities she's going to have and friends she'll make.  She is so excited to try out swim team, soccer, track, and chorus.  Man, I've got a talented daughter!

Here is a picture of Analise getting to write her name on the wall for completing 25 Miles at Mile Club.  Super, super fun.  Lise is also still loving gymnastics and just got moved up to the Saphires - Level 2.  Woot, woot!  Lise has also become my snuggle buddy at night.  I try to read with her in her bed whenever it's not too late . . . and often end up falling asleep in her bed!

Kylie and I are still visiting Kate for lunch dates, which everybody loves.  Kate has decided she officially loves school - hooray!  She also gets 100% on everything, so she is definitely a smarty pants.  She reads to me like a champ and loves to be quizzed on math facts while we drive around in the car.  The most hilarious thing is when she and I play hangman with her "kindergarten spelling."  It definitely adds a challenge!

 

 

And finally, here is the evidence that Kylie is following in my footsteps as a perfectionist.  She makes a total mess, but in very orderly, straight lines - always straight lines.  She is also taking after me in that she talks to herself in the mirror.  Every time there's a mirror at the clothing store or especially in the produce at the grocery store I can find her saying, "Kylie?  Is that you?  What are you doing at the store?" or arguing with herself saying, "No you're not Kylie!  I'm Kylie!"  So hilarious.  So like watching myself through a crystal ball.

Okay, so sorry this post totally jumped around (or maybe they're all like that?).  Anyway, the bottom line is -- we're busy having fun, and I wanted to record it.  (I really need to try to get back to blogging on a weekly basis,  but I'm highly skeptical of the probability of that actually happening!)  Anyhoo, our next stop is . . . Spring Break Mania!