Special lunch

As a reward for their hard work in the science fair, all the recipients got to attend a special lunch at school. The principal had Costa Vida brought in for the kids. They each got a chicken taco, bean, rice, and a cinnamon sugar tortilla. I called them elephant ears when I was a kid. 

William and I got there early. We weren't sure where to go, but once we walked to the office they told us to head down to the gym. They were setting up and getting things ready to go. When we got there they asked us to wait in the hallway and when it was time they would let us in. When it was finally time, they asked the kids names so they could mark them off the list, and then let them in the gym to pick up their lunches. 

William was the first one in line and was having a blast being surrounded by so many other students. He picked his seat and then started eating. When Owen came in he wanted Owen to sit with him, but of course he went and sat by his friends. I felt bad for William because he was literally sitting by himself. I guess that's what happens when you are the only Kindergartner that did a science fair project. He didn't let it bother him, which I loved.

Half way through the lunch they started played some science documentaries. William quickly finished his lunch, cleaned it up, and then sat back down to watch the videos. No one really seemed to care that they were one. Everyone was all over the place walking in and out of the gym. I guess they didn't have to stay, I was just surprised they let them walk the halls. Despite all of that movement around the gym, William was not bothered. He continued to watch the documentaries.

Even when they started to take down the table and chairs, he just sat on the floor. Eventually he was asked to move closer to the stage so they could sweep, and he did all while still watching. That kids cracks me up.

1st temple trip

I can't believe it, our little girl is old enough to go to the temple. With the new age change to when the kids advance to Young Women's and Young Men's that meant she actually got to go before she turned 12.

2 weeks ago we were informed that they Young Women would be going to the Temple and that they needed to get an interview from a member of the Bishopric. Gabbi was really worried about having to do an interview. She didn't want to do the interview at first, but when she realized that she couldn't go without one, she agreed. When we got there they asked her if she wanted a parent to go into the interview with her, she of course said yes. So we followed the councilor down the hall into an empty classroom. We all sat down and he started talking to Gabbi about the Temple and special it was. Once they were done talking he asked her the interview questions and she passed with flying colors.

When we were all done we walked to the office and they printed off her recommend. When it was in her hands she had such a huge smile on her face. She said that she couldn't wait to finally use it.

When the day finally came, she quickly ate her dinner and asked if it was time to meet the rest of the Young Women. I laughed and told her no, that she still had almost 45 minutes till she had to go. It seemed like she was out and looking at the clock every five minutes. It finally came time to go and she was ready and out the door. I walked her to the meeting spot, gave her a hug, told her to have fun, and said goodbye.

When she got home she had so much to talk about. She sat there and told us all about it for a good 30 minutes. We finally had to cut her off and told her to get ready for bed. It was almost 9:30. She agreed and before finally heading off to bed she said that she would tell us the rest tomorrow and she did. I'm so glad she had a great experience and wants to go back again soon.

February Wreath

For February's wreath I fell in love with a striped deco mesh of Hot Pink, Black, and White. At the time when I ordered it, it was only available in a 21 x 10 roll. I really wanted it, so I went ahead and ordered and hoped that I would figure out what to do with it when it was time to make my wreath. Along with the striped deco mesh, I bought a Hot Pink, Black, and White roll to go with it. Now that I learned how to do the ribbon technique that would be the perfect technique for the 21 x 10 roll, that way I wouldn't have to cut it at all. It would be a little bit trickier because the roll is so big, but it was worth a crack at it to have the roll I wanted.

All that was left now was to find embellishments that would match. For this I went to Hobby Lobby to see what they had. All of the Christmas stuff was now on clearance and they still had a lot that I could choose from. Luckily I found some fun things that matched just fine. I found a heart for the centerpiece that was White in the center, small fabric hearts with a Black and White plaid pattern on them, as well as jeweled ribbons of Silver and Hot Pink, and last but not least glitter White sprigs to give it dimension. Now I could get down to business. 

The ribbon technique took longer this time to work on the frame because of that larger sized roll, but overall it worked nicely not having to cut the larger roll. Once all the rolls were weaved through the open spaces, I tied them off and cut off the excess. Now that that was done, it was ready for the embellishments.

It took me a minutes to figure out what I wanted to do with the hearts. I wasn't sure how many I wanted to use or even where to place them. I tried a few different things, but landed on only using 2. With the large heart in the center, it worked out quite nicely. The ribbon also was hard to decide on, it wouldn't really fold like a normal bow would, but I wanted to use it. After many attempts of getting it to do what I want it to, I literally gave up and just tied loops together and attached them to the frame. Then I added the sprigs and it was done. 

Doctor's visit

We had our next appointment for Owen. I wasn't sure how this appointment would go, but it was just Owen and I. Ben's classes end and is home by 11:30 on Wednesdays so he was able to stay home with the other two. After picking Owen up from school, we headed to his appointment.

When we got there we checked in and then sat and waited to be called back. It felt like it took forever, but we were finally called back. When we walked into her office she asked us to have a seat while she reviewed all of our information. She asked us a few questions regarding the two pages we had filled out when we got there and then she started to talk to Owen. She asked him how things have been going for him both at school and at home. They talked about some of the items he was supposed to be working on and how those things were going. I have to admit, some of the ideas he and his doctor came up with are helping while at school, I just wish they would help out more at home.

As they went on they continued to talk about school. How he was dealing with his frustrations in an area where he doesn't have much too any control. He shared a few instances where he used a technique that they had talked about and the results seemed to be favorable. I'm grateful that things are starting to cool down for him at school, even his teacher said she could see a small bit of progress.

As time went on, I could tell that Owen was done talking. She did have some toys in her office and he was able to fiddle with them as he talked, but you can only do so much when you're trying to have a conversation with someone. His Doctor could tell too and finally said that it was time to be done for the day. She quickly reviewed with her the things they talked about and to work on until his next appointment. Once we were done we headed back to the front desk, made a new appointment, and then headed to the van.

Since his appointment was so late and with no time to really cook dinner, I decided that we would grab a bite to eat on the way home. I texted Ben and we decided that I would just bring something home. He was working on homework and couldn't take a break right now. Owen and I went to Cafe Rio. We made our order and while we were waiting I asked Owen how he thought things went today and if he thought they were helping. He said it was fine and that he thought it was helping. I asked him if he really thought that and he just shrugged his shoulders. I smiled and was grateful that they had finally finished with our order and we could head home.

Visits

After we were done with Gabbi's Activity Day's activity, we went and grabbed some lunch from Burger King. Then went back to Mom and Dad's to eat. The kids quickly ate and went outside to play while Ben and I finished our lunch inside. When we were done, Ben had to stay and finish some homework, but the kids and I went to visit with Taycina and her kids.

Once at Taycina's house, the kids literally ran out of the van to the front door. I'm pretty sure they rang the doorbell a few too many times. They were just so excited to see and play with her kids. I don't blame them, it's been a long time since we have seen them.

The kids went downstairs to play while Taycina and I visited and caught up on what we had been missing. She had a lot going on with PTA and I "didn't have much", but it was nice to catch up. We sadly couldn't stay long, we had other plans as well, but what little time we had was great.

After leaving there place, I went back to pick up Ben and he got on the freeway and headed to Garland. We were meeting Nelson, Deann, and Grandma at Denny's for dinner. We were a little late, so by the time we got there, they had already been seated and ordered some appetizers. Once everyone had decided what they wanted, we were able to order.

The service there is slow, so it was kind of nice to have extra time to visit. Grandma had been painting more and was telling the kids all about it. She also shared the newspaper article that was wrote about her. It was pretty cool to see. Nelson was changing shifts at work and being a lead of some sorts. I don't remember what it's called and Deann retired from daycare and has been loving the extra time she now found herself with. She's been able to catch up on scrapbooking and what not. It was just nice to sit down and talk.

After we were done eating and paid our bill, we went back to Nelson and Deann's place to visit a little bit more. When we got there we told the kids not to make a big mess because we wouldn't be staying too long. After about another hour or so, we told the kids to clean up, it was time to head back to Ogden.

When we got back to Mom and Dad's I said good night to the kids and meet Christy to have a girl's night. Since we didn't get to do much visiting last night, we were both free again and wanted to take advantage of it. We couldn't find another movie or another activity that sounded awesome, so we just planned to go get a treat and visit. We decided to go to Jake's over the Top. We ended up getting more than a treat. We also got some chicken fingers to split and some cheese fries to go with our shakes.

While we waited for our food and while we ate, we just talked. It has been a long time since we have been able to talk like that. We have Marco and texts, but in person conversation is bar far better. We both got caught up with what's going on, were able to be sound boards for the other, and even a shoulder to cry on. I hate being so far away, but it makes the time we do have together, that much better.

Activity Days

We were invited to come back to a special Family Activity Days activity. We weren't told much, just that they would be displaying the things they have made while in Activity days. Gabbi didn't have anything she wanted to display, so we just went and waited to see what awaited us.

They had a fun program put together. Some of the girls spoke on the fun things that they did, the leaders talked about the new program for the youth, and the bishop ended with the few words. When all of that was done, they shared a video that they had put together of all the pictures they took over the last year at their activities. Gabbi was embarrassed by some of the pictures of her, but it was a really cute video.

When the video was done they started the awards portion of the program. They gave an award to each of the girls with a special treat to go with them. Gabbi's award was the Bubble Tape, "For having such a BUBBLY personality."

When all of those were handed out, the girls who were now moving onto Young Women's got a special treat. They were each given a package of Kleenexes, Starburts, and M & M's. It also had a fun poem to go with it. Again Gabbi was embarrassed to be up there, but she was a trooper and smiled.

When the program was done, they had some refreshments and then we were free to go. We stayed to visit for a little before heading out. It was a lot of fun to see everyone again.

Movie night

After coming home from Chuck E. Cheese, we got the kids ready and in bed. Ben and I had plans to go see Underwater with Christy and we wanted to put the kids to bed so Mom wouldn't have to worry about it. After they were in bed, we said good night and left to meet Christy at the theater.

I was surprised that I agreed to watch this movie. I'm not very good with scary movies, but as long as I was watching it with two of my favorite movie buddies, I would be okay. After getting our tickets we got some treats and headed for the theater. Christy was running late, I just hoped that she'd get there in time and that a seat next to us would still be available. Luckily for us, we were good. There weren't many people there, I don't know why I worried.

During the entire movie we were either hiding form the scary parts or laughing and making joked about them. Not sure Ben liked that. He may not want to join us for a movie again. That's just how we cope with the scary movies.

It wasn't too bad. Definitely not my favorite and I won't be purchasing it, but it was nice to get out and spend some time with Christy although it wasn't one on one time. 

Chuck E. Cheese's

We got a gift card for Christmas to go to Chuck E. Cheese's. The kids had never been so we thought we would surprise them. We had plans for the weekend to be up in Ogden so we decided to add that to our plans. 

Ben took the train to Salt Lake for his class in the morning and after his class he would take the train to Layton. We planned to meet at a place in Layton and then head to the restaurant. When the kids got out of school he hit the freeway and headed that way. When Ben got to Layton, he texted me to let me know where he was at. Once we were through traffic, we finally picked up Ben and headed to Chuck E. Cheese's.

The kids got so excited when we pulled into the parking lot. They couldn't wait to go inside and have some fun. It took us a minute to decide what we wanted. The cashier ended up letting us know what the best deals were and we went from there. We decided to do two 45 minute game cards with an XL cheese pizza and an order of breadsticks. While we waited for our food the kids walked around to see what type of games were there.

When it was time we finally all sat down to eat dinner. It was hard to get the kids to stay focused on their dinner, they just wanted to go play. Then Chuck E came out and it was even harder to get them to focus. We told the kids "the sooner you finish eating the sooner you can go play." That finally got them going.

When they were finally done it was time to hit the games. Ben took one card and I took the other. We took turns going with the kids to all the games they wanted to play. Once we got a fill for the place and what games they were good at, we stuck to the ones that cashed out the most tickets. The kids were having so much fun play games, gathering tickets, and running around. One game even took a picture of them that they could customize.

When our time cards were finally done, we had just under 2500 tickets. The lady at the counter was nice enough to add a few to make it even for all three of our kids and once they were told their total they took forever to decide what to get. Finally after what seemed like forever they were done picking their prizes. They were all happy with what they picked and couldn't wait to show Nana and Papa what they had.

Tree of Life

While looking in the Friend magazine for ideas for this week's scripture study, I came across a fun one. This week we were learning about the Vision of the Tree of Life found in 1st Nephi. The activity that I found was an interactive one where we draw a combined effort picture of the Tree of Life. Everyone was assigned a designated part of the Vision. Each round we had five minutes to draw our designated part. Ben drew the "Great and Spacious Building," Gabbi drew the "River," Owen drew the "Straight and Narrow Path," William drew the "Iron Rod," and I drew the "Tree." After each of us had a turn to draw our part on each paper, we got to stop and look at the end results. They of course all looked the same, but at the same time, all looked different. It was a fun way to learn and deepen our understanding of the Vision. 

Science Fair

 With how much fun it looked like for Owen to make his volcano, William wanted to do a science fair project as well. He decided that he wanted to do his on Blue Whales. So as the days went on and getting closer to the day of the science fair, we had to sit down and get their display boards ready. 

I first worked with William. I asked him what he wanted to learn about the Blue Whale. As he did I started to search for those answers on the computer and wrote them down for him. Then I told him to pick his favorite ones and those would be the ones that we put on his board. After he picked his favorite facts, I typed them up and then had him pick out a few pictures that would help him remember what those facts were. Once those were printed off and ready to go, we went to the board.

I asked him what he wanted to put on his board. He said he wanted to draw a whale. I told him to do that then. He looked at the board and then at me. He then asked me if I would draw it for him and he would color it. It took a while to color the whole thing, but he did a great job. When the whale was done it was time to place his facts and pictures. He told me where he wanted them and he glued them down. Once that was done, he was ready to go.

After I was done helping William it was Owen's turn. I did the same thing for Owen that I did for William. He's required a little more information, but he had no problem picking out what he wanted to put on his board. The boys were both excited when they got their boards done. Now they just had to wait until they could take them to school for the science fair.

The day of the science fair the boys were both ready and excited. They dressed nicely and even got in a little practice before school. When we got to school they told us where to take them and that when it was time they would call them out of class to talk with the judges. I gave both the boys a hug and wished them luck.

When they got home they both said that they did a great job with the judges. They were able to answer their questions and Owen was even able to do his demonstration without a hitch.

Later that night, friends and family were allowed to come to the school to check out all of the science fair projects. Both Owen and William were happy to see that they got certificates and even a coupon to attend a special lunch with the principle. I'm so proud of both of them, so much that I told them we would go out and get a treat at JCW's. They both did a great job and are already talking about what they want to do next year.

Dolittle

With both Ben and the kids being off for Martin Luther King Day, we decided to treat the kids to a fun evening. On Saturday I went and got tickets for the new Doctor Dolittle movie. With that we planned to go see the movie and to take them out to eat afterwards.

Ben had some homework to get done in the morning and afternoon, but when it was time to go, he quickly closed down and we headed out the door. The kids had no idea what we were doing or where we were going. They quickly figured it out when we got off the freeway though. They still didn't know what we were seeing.

When we got inside we got our popcorn and drinks, we were even lucky enough to get a free large popcorn. They had some old movie buckets that they needed to get rid of so they were giving them away for free with qualifying purchase. The kids were excited to have another bucket to use for popcorn, now they didn't have to use the little white baggies. After we got our popcorn, we headed to our seats. I even sprung for the good seats, the ones that reclined.

When the kids found out what we were watching they were literally jumping up and down. They were so excited. They hurried and sat down and tried patiently to wait for the movie to start. You can always tell when you're at a family movie. It was so loud with all the kids while waiting for the movie. When it finally did lots of kids were cheering. It finally quieted down and it was time to enjoy the movie.

It was a great movie. The kids loved it. They were already talking about what character they would play when they got home. When we finally got out of the theater, we went to eat dinner. We took the kids to Culver's. They've been there once before and were really excited to be able to get some ice cream with their dinner.

Disney +

When Disney+ became available we jumped on the offer. I'm grateful that we did too. They have movies that I use to watch as a kid, some that our kids have never seen or even heard of. I was excited to be able to show some of them to the kids. 

One Sunday after church we didn't have anything to do so we decided to make it a movie day. Well the kids and I. Ben had some homework that he needed to get done, so He wasn't able to join us. The kids and I were able to watch some of my favorites like The Ugly Dachshund, That Darn Cat, and Pollyanna. We only stopped when it was time to make and have dinner. It was a nice quiet and relaxing afternoon and the kids seemed to like these old classics like I did at their age.

Volcano

Ever since the family STEM night Owen hasn't stopped talking about the science fair. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. After telling us what he wanted we made a plan to start putting it together. His first step was making a volcano.

For this to work we had to make a base to make it on. We came up with a few ideas and decided on using a powerade bottle, surrounded by newspaper, and then covered in electrical tape to prevent it from liquid seeping in. Once it was ready to go, I got the stuff ready for him to cover it in papier-mâché.

Ben made the mixture, I tore up all the newspaper. While we were doing that, Owen got ready by putting on a scrap shirt that he could get dirty. When he was ready and we were ready, Ben called him over and explained to him what he needed to do. Once he had his instructions he went at it. He had a lot of fun with it too. The only part he didn't like was waiting for it to dry.

The volcano had to dry for at least 24 hours before being able to paint it. Once it was ready, Owen and I went to the store to pick out some spray paint. Once we got that, Ben sprayed the base coats needed to cover the papier-mâché. When that was finally dry it was time for Owen to add his accents. He painted lave, trees, and dirt. He was loving it. Even more so, loved the final result.

He couldn't wait to take it to school for the science fair.

YW's activity

For their combined activity, the Young Men and Young Women were going on a scavenger hunt. This was a special scavenger hunt. They were on the hunt for people. They had to hunt for people from our ward that were dressed differently than they normally do. 

They looked like they had a lot of fun. When Gabbi came home she told me that it was really hard for her. She doesn't know very many people from the ward anyway and now they were disguised, she had no idea who they were. Despite that disadvantage, she said she had fun.

Lunch with a friend

Melissa has been my oldest and dearest friend. Our lives and schedules haven't really made it easy to spend time together. Our move to Provo made that even more sure. We were lucky enough to be able to spend some time together on her birthday.

She texted me a few weeks ago asking if there was a day that I might be able to get together with her. I told her what I had and we were able to plan a lunch. She was off work and was able to drive down to Provo to meet. I told her to pick where we went and that lunch was on me. After all it was her birthday. She picked Kneaders and we planned to meet there at 11:30.

After William got down with school I headed to meet Melissa. When I got there I wasn't sure if she was there or not. I didn't see her car. So I called her and it turned out that she was there, but was in Brandon's car. So we walked inside together, ordered lunch, and waited for it to be ready. We found a table and sat down. The best part about our friendships is that no matter how much time passes we can pick it up like no time had passed at all. 

We talked about what both of us have been up to since the last time we saw each other. We talked about families, work, kids, etc. It was a great lunch. We actually stayed there until it was time for me to go and pick up my kids from school. It was good to see her again and even better being able to celebrate her birthday with her.

Midway

Ben went to see the Movie Midway with his classmates. Their professor told them that instead of class they were going to go watch the show. Ben was excited because that meant no lecture. They would only have write a small review once the show is over. Ben enjoyed it enough that he was willing to see it again so I could see it. I'm not sure he enjoyed me asking him throughout the show if that really happened that way or if things really happen like that in the military, but he appeased my curiosity. It was a good movie and a good excuse to have a date night.

Illuminaria

Before heading out to our fun filled activity, we went out to eat. We went to Johnny Rockets. I went there once with Mom while at Swiss Days and thought that it would be a place that both the kids and Ben would enjoy. I was right, they all loved the food and were even full when we were done. That's a first for our kids. They always complain about being hungry.

When we were done eating we headed over to Thanksgiving point. We planned to go see Illiminaria. The kids weren't sure what we were doing, all they knew was that it required their snow clothes. When we finally found a parking spot, we all got dressed and ready to be outside. As soon as we got within eye view the kids were screaming about seeing all the lights. I, like them, love looking at Christmas lights and couldn't wait to see what lied ahead of us.

After purchasing our tickets we walked through the small foyer and outside. Right away the kids ran to the small fence and saw nothing but a hillside of lights. The tour guides told us that all we needed to do was following the path and that would take us through the entire light display. The first stop was a little building full of gingerbread houses. They were immaculate and amazing. The kids were in awe. When we were finally able to pull them away we headed back outside and followed the path. There were many beautiful things to see.

We took our time walking through, taking everything in. We took even more time when we got to the game section. They had a giant Lite Brite, ski ball tables, what looked like a colorful game board, picture boards, snowmen making, etc. The kids really liked the game area. Sadly they didn't get to stay as long as they wanted, there were just too many kids that wanted turns too. Once we were back to the top we just watched and listened to the light show that was going on. It was so much fun. I would even consider going again next year.