Change!

This week we've had a few changes, additions and returns. First I bought Greg this lounge chair that he's wanted for quite awhile. (Addition) He's loving it and he was enjoying the sun that was out for a minute earlier this week.

Then we had the Red Pearl returned to her rightful place at the side of the driveway. 

She may not currently run but at least she's home and can be worked on.

       Then we began the remodeling project we've been planning for awhile now. Say goodbye to this massive wall! Getting the electrical figured out may take a minute but I'm glad we've finally begun this 'open concept' remodel. (Change)

The kids sure had fun practicing their graffiti skills before demo began.

What's more fun then writing on the walls!?

     Then today I had a minute of time with this kid and he agreed to a haircut as long as it was at a legit barber shop. I agreed without hesitation and would have paid almost any price for this haircut and it was worth every dime and was even worth Charlie being a few minutes late to preschool. (Which is unheard of for me!) (Change/return)

Seriously!? Why can't he see how much more handsome he is clean cut!?

Our Grand puppy also got a haircut, bath and generally all dolled up. She's so cute!

She's finally getting the potty training thing down but she did pee on my shoe when I picked her up from the groomer out  of pure joy and excitement to see me. Silly puppy!

     So there you have it, change, returns and additions. This week has flown by and only 87 days 7 hours and 49 minutes until the Atkinson's 'hit the states'!

Two

     I took two photos this week. Well that's not true, I took four but only two worth posting. I'd post the photo of Mark's most recent citation but I don't know if I want his 'criminal' history out there for the world to see. He's definitely giving us a chance to learn things we never imagined, like talking with and hiring a criminal defense attorney and finding out that the police aren't out to 'help' you no matter how honest you are with them. Note to self, only answer with yes or no answers when being questioned by the police and don't volunteer anything! Seriously, I hope this last run-in with the law is the final straw to get Mark out of this 'rebellious' streak he's on.
     So anyway, back to my photos of the week. Charlie had her kindergarten check up. Her current stats at 4-1/2 years are: height - 3 ft. 9 in. (99%) weight - 46 lbs. (91%). She'll probably be one of the youngest kindergarteners in her class but she definitely won't be one of the smallest. Ha ha!

She was good until it came time to get a couple shots!

      And Isaac is part of a more official choir group at school and he came home sporting these new duds.

He's looking pretty handsome minus the silly hair.

    So there you have it. Greg and I have been to a couple movies this week. Carter has one more basketball game tomorrow, 2 if he wins the first one, but we're nearly done with basketball season and then maybe I can finally convince Greg to get started on our wall removal/kitchen project. And in case you don't know only 94 days, 1 hour, 27 minutes until the Atkinson's arrive in Utah!

A Break?!

     Greg and I had the privilege of attending the baby blessing for this darling little guy, Logan. He's my cousins little boy and just about the cutest baby EVER! We felt honored to be invited and I was so happy to finally meet this cute baby in person!

      Then we rented this ⇣ for our four day trip to St. George. Greg called it the 'hunter orange special'. Initially we were going to get a little bigger crossover that wasn't bright orange and had a giant sunroof, which I was especially excited for but unfortunately the rental car employee found a chip in the windshield when she was taking it through the car wash and was unable to rent it to us! I was so bummed!! This orange car was fun to drive but not nearly as nice as the other car but it was still in the same category we paid for so we didn't get the option to upgrade.

 At least it wasn't hard to find in the parking lot! ha ha

     While we were away several kids came down with colds and apparently fell asleep in random places. Charlie not only napped on the kitchen floor with the puppy but also laid down next to her preschool teacher during reading time and promptly fell asleep. (Either she's sick or has very messed up sleeping patterns!)

    Meanwhile, Greg and I were quite enjoying ourselves in sunny St. George. Yummy dinners out and several yummy desserts, not the least of which was a banana split from DQ! We also went to the movies, the St. George Temple, (for the first time) had a great visit with our long time friends; the Cox's, went clay pigeon shooting and just enjoyed a few days away from reality.

     They actually asked us to be the witness couple at the temple session we attended. After getting a look at the temple patrons I realized we were about the only option because everyone else in attendance would have most likely broken a hip trying to kneel! Ha ha! I don't think there was anyone under the age of 60 aside from us in the whole temple.

    Well we made it back home safely. The kids are all still alive and relatively happy but not necessarily healthy but they'll be fine. We're not looking forward to the promised snowstorm for tomorrow but we're not yet secure with our water supply for the spring and summer so I guess we'll take it. It sure was nice getting away for a few days but I'll be paying for it for the next 24 hours while I try to catch up on all the laundry that's piled up! Thank goodness laundry is a chore I don't mind!

Winter?!

      We finally got a decent snowstorm. It fouled up Greg's holiday but that's generally how it goes. The kids took advantage of the storm to veg out most the day on their tablets.

At least they're getting along and being quiet.

     The other big event for our week was the cub scouts "Blue & Gold" party, which I helped with. It was short, sweet and simple, just perfect!

    We had a little more snow today. Lets hope we'll have enough water for the spring and summer months! Next week Greg and I get to go to St. George for the week so pray these kids survive fending for themselves!

Valentine’s Day and other stuff

     So have I mentioned how AMAZING our primary chorister is?! He's truly a remarkable man and the kids are so lucky to have him in primary. Not a lot of men could pull this look off with such confidence and style.

    This Valentine's I decided to add to my hair repertoire! Thank goodness for YouTube hair tutorials!

A little lopsided heart on purpose.

    And for dinner we kept it easy but festive. Thank goodness for local pizza places that make my life a little easier. And Greg went out of his way to get me my favorite appetizer from Chili's for my dinner, white queso spinach dip, which I devoured before I could get a photo.

     And after weeks of begging I finally took Brock to see the eye doctor and, low and behold, he did need glasses. He actually has great vision but the muscle in his left eye that helps him focus from up close to far away is only working at 38% so instead of recommending extensive vision therapy that could be quite intense and expensive he suggested eyeglasses for the easier and simpler fix. Brock was initially excited but when the reality of wearing them in public set in he decided he didn't really need them after all. Lucky for Brock he has a patient and loving dad who took the glasses to school after he left them behind and after a few good friends told Brock he looked good in glasses he decided he might try wearing them after all. Personally I don't think he needs them because he seems to do better without them but we'll give it a little time and see what happens.

     And this girl had fun practicing her makeup application skills. She's nearly a pro!

    And just because I thought he looked so cute with his paw on the bear.

Smalls!

    Greg and I did see one movie this week, "15.17 to Paris", which was pretty good but definitely lacking in acting skills but that's to be expected when you hire the real life heroes to star in their own story/movie. There's not a lot of new movies out that we want to see but I'm still up for another viewing of "The Greatest Showman" but I might have to go solo. I also hope to take the kids to see the Peter Rabbit movie in the near future, maybe on a $5 Tuesday.
      On a side note, Mark has had some car problems recently and actually had a small engine fire on his way home from Spanish Fork yesterday! As a mom I'd like him to buy a newer car that is more reliable and practical but Mark is a 17 year old young man and has completely other ideas so for now he's borrowing a friends car and has his hopes set on purchasing a 1988 Mazda that is currently not running. If anyone knows how to talk sense into a 17 year old, stubborn, 'brain dead' teenager, please feel free to take a crack at it!

Go Eagles!

      Our Super Bowl extravaganza was awesome! Yummy food, great friends and family and a win for 'our' team. It was a great game despite the rotten commentary from a very bias sportscaster! And the half-time show and commercials were also entertaining.

     I decided to document one of my newest dresses. I've had lots of 'favorite' dresses over the years and I end up ruining them and I wish I had at least taken a photo for memories sake so this Sunday I made sure to get a photo just in case this dress reaches an unexpected demise before I get to wear it a few more times. I also had to document the impromptu snuggle I got from Lexi while watching the game Sunday.

      And this week I got a fun surprise 'heart attack' from our wolf den/cub scout group. So fun!

       Tonight we're looking forward to watching the Winter Olympics opening ceremonies. Greg and I also made it to the movies a couple times this week. We saw "The Maze Runner", which was pretty good despite the fact that I haven't seen the second of the three movies. We also saw "Winchester", which was a little weird/scary but mildly interesting but I definitely wouldn't have gone out of my way to see it if we didn't have the movie pass. We've now officially seen 9 movies so from here on out any movie we go to will technically be free, which is pretty awesome!

Real, not real

      So McClane has a new 'cousin' (Not really) and she's about the cutest cousin ever! This is Lettie Page and she's about 2 lbs. and three months old. She loves being held and cuddled and was passed around like a real baby. Oh puppies!!

      Charlie got to celebrate her 'unbirthday' at preschool today. She'll be officially 4 and a half in just 10 days. She was beyond excited to share a treat with her classmates. She's pretty fun to have around.

      Needless to say, Greg and I have made our way to the movies a couple different times this week and Greg also took Carter to a movie just last night and we'll be leaving shortly to see another movie tonight. This movie pass is the real deal and super fun. I'm not going to lie, "The Post" wasn't my favorite movie but Greg seemed to like it and the actor line-up was pretty impressive. I honestly slept through most of it so I can't give it a real review but when you technically didn't pay for the movie ticket you don't feel as guilty when you miss most the movie. Ha ha! Now on to the Super Bowl food extravaganza! I have no idea who's playing in the game but I know what we'll be eating and drinking and it's going to be AMAZING!!