2 Movies

Just some silly fun we had this weekend:


This is how we get Beans' wiggles out in the winter



And this is our baby who seconds as a wobbler toy

Inspired

These have inspired me and I have signed up for this.

Crazy. But I am excited. Here's to training! And can I have arms like the graceful Joannie come August? Please?


Didn't you just ache for her as she skated when you knew her heart was breaking? I have to admit that I cried as I watched her. As a mom, and a daughter I totally cried. And her performance was stunning because of it.

I have loved these olympics, cheering on the old faves--Apolo and Shaun, and taking pride in the new ones-- Lindsay, Steve and USA Sled 1, Johnny and Billy (see, after 2 weeks together we are on a first name basis :) There are countless others, American and Chinese and Canadian and Korean...

Remember these words, directed to the athletes from the Opening Ceremonies?:

"You are role models for our children, heroes, giants, human champions, the best ever. You are living proof that men and women are capable of doing great good, and in life, as in sport, we should do our best and never, ever give up..."

Good show world. Good show.

Digital Projects

2 big projects I completed this month (and both arrived on my doorstep this week):

1) 2010 Family Calendar

See how we do it? We use pictures to remind us of all the family birthdays during the year. And now you all are reminded that mine is coming up next month...I'm just saying...

I made it through iPhoto--easy peasy. It's the 6th year in a row I have made one for our little family and they are turning out to be dually functional both as the calendar during the year and as an archived year-in-review for our family.

Oh, and the first time I made a calendar it happened to be March (not quite sure how that happened...) Now, each successive calendar runs from March-February. Makes for one less thing to work on during the crazy holiday season.

2) 3rd Volume of my Blog Book

I have done all my blog books through Blurb because their software is so straightforward and user friendly. And they are very affordable. I printed my last book for just about 40 cents a page. Apple charges about $1 a page for digital picture books so Blurb's seems like quite a deal.

Wie Gehts?

I am teaching Bentley's Kindergarten class about Germany tomorrow because I qualify as someone who "spent considerable time there," per the teacher's request. Do three years as a toddler/preschooler count? I just wish that fluent Deutsch had stuck with me all these years later!

I am bringing my little girls donning their dirndls, my dad's lederhosen, my Nutcrackers, my antique "Ausgang" sign, some trusty pics, and Haribo Gummi Bears for everyone, of course. Did you know that HARIBO is an acronym for the inventor and the city where company headquarters is located--Hans Riegel, Bonn? Well now you do. The things you can learn on Wikipedia.

Just look at this screen shot of their website's homepage. My parents and siblings will love this simply for the tagline. Oh, and Chandler will love it too. He is way into his wife (my big sis) teaching his kids this cool German phrase:


Tomorrow I am also teaching the children a simplified version of a German folk dance I learned at BYU. It's called Die Hammerschmiedsgesell'n. It's a fun and easy dance with an impossible title. Very German...

I also came across this as I surfed the web for pictures:

Neuschwanstein Castle

Anyone up for a trip to Bavaria with me? It has been 16 years since I have been there and I am due.


One more thing. Check out this beauty my hubby just made for all the Kindergartners. Fun:

More From SG

On Thursday the weather was perfect, on Friday it was still lovely but cooler as the wind picked up, and on Saturday it rained all morning. Luckily, it cleared up in the afternoon because my kids wanted to play outside as much as they could this weekend--we had to pack it in before returning to the snow and cold up north.

Sissies. I love these girls playing together.
And how cute is Olivia in the tiny doll stroller?

Memo to Cares' mama: tuck her skirt down next time she is in a swing!
But I love her little legs in this picture.

Did I mention our Vegas cousin Max came to play?

While I packed up the car before heading home, my kids "babysat" Olivia for me by pushing her around in the real baby stroller. Livs loved it.
Bentley was showing off his very slow (aka grumpy) walk in the background...

Our weekend was short, driving down early Thursday morning and leaving for home around dinnertime on Saturday. A few days without my hubby is plenty for me though, and I was so glad we were home to attend Stake Conference today because it was such an amazing meeting.

To My Baby

February 18th, 2009

February 18th, 2010
We have skipped town in search of sunny skies and warm weather.
Mission accomplished in St George. It is gorgeous here.

Dearest Olivia Ann (aka Liver Lous, Livvie Skivvies, Livvies, Liver Maniver, Livs),

Today you are exactly 1 year old. And I am stunned at how swiftly the time has flown. One year ago I held you in my arms, in the wee hours of the morning when I first met you, and discovered you to be my beautiful new daughter. I was thrilled to meet you and you captured my heart from the very beginning.

An hour or so after your birth, at roughly 4:00 am, your nurses whisked you away for your routine check-up, more testing and your first bath. This gave me a chance a catch a few hours of some much needed sleep. And I crashed hard. But I woke around 7:30 as your nurse brought you back to me--and I was so very ready to see you. She told me your temperature had been dropping just a degree or 2 every so often and that I should bundle you tight and snuggle you close to me as much as possible to keep you warm, something I was all too happy to do for you. And me. I lifted you into my bed, nestled you in my arms, and we were both back to sleep. We took many naps like that throughout the day and it was pure heaven for me. I loved seeing you, smelling you, nursing you, inspecting you, cooing over you and basking in your newness and purity.

We shared the day together in our calm and very quiet room. I think I turned the TV on for about 5 minutes and then realized I wasn't even interested. We were both exhausted and really, all I wanted was your warm and nuzzling infant body resting on mine. We had a few visitors that day and I took a quick shower while they held you and marveled over you. Around dinner time Daddy and Bentley and Cares arrived and things certainly livened up! Oh, those siblings were just so excited to meet you and hold you and ask a hundred and one questions about you. They were very tender and sweet with you. They have loved you from the very beginning too.

Olivia, you are such a gift in my life, in Daddy's life, and in our family as a whole. You are happy and bright, saucy and fun, beautiful and very blonde, and completely lovable. I love all that makes you my unique little 1-year-old girl: your swift army-crawling, squished-nose smiles and snorts, full-body loves and hugs, the jabbering that ensues just before you fall asleep, your endless appetite, and mad dashes to bury your face in the pillows anytime you are up on my big bed.

I love you tiny girl. And happiest, happy birthday on this, your very first one.

--Your adoring Mommy

February Fun

Our Valentine's wouldn't have been complete without our favorite activities: making and decorating tasty sugar cookies and filling our house with homemade hearts and love notes.

Cares' face is so silly in this pic. I had to share it.

Yummy frosting for our cookies

Favors for my dancers after our Valentine's class last week

A heart-attack FHE: We all wrote what we loved about each member of our family.

Bentley's heart for Cares: "I love Cares because she is such a good friend."
I love the little drawing he made and carefully cut out to place beside his valentine for her. He actually drew each of us to be hung beside the hearts he made. Can I just freeze him at this age forever and keep him from growing out of these tender and creative gestures? I love him.

To Mother Nature,
We are tucking all our reds and pinks away today, a signal that winter is over and spring can begin. Please oblige in the not too distant future--by March would be perfect. Our fresh green pillows and cool blue vases look much more inviting next to sunshine rather than dreary gray skies. Thank you.