Jan/ Feb phone photos

1.Jake and I took Kate and Sam skiing this year to Sundance.  We had hoped to make it a bunch of times- but basically its has been spring all winter and there is not snow. The one day we went it was actually snowing a bit.  It took most the afternoon but Kate and Sam were able to get down the bunny hill without us.  There was crying and frustration from both of them, but in the end we did have some fun.  Skiing is hard, especially when you are little and not very strong- but they did a great job.  Jake and I would just ski in front of them backwards at first and let them ski to us, and then eventually they could go on their own. They couldn't do the tow rope on their own though however hard we tried and I ended up carrying the kids uphill on the rope which was the most difficult part of everything.  We ended the day with dinner in the lodge which I think was Kate and Sam's favorite part because I let them each buy a soda and a oack of M & M's.  Jake and I made it just the two of us skiing one day this winter too.  And it was fun- util a blizzard came and my legs were burning trying to go slow enough down really steep hills so that I could see where I was going.  I do love skiing still though and its fun to remember that I do.

2.Marianne dressed up like a pirate.  She loved this pirate bandana all year and always finds it and put is on and makes pirate faces and says "arrrr" and is the cutest pirate that ever was.

3.  Beth really loves pizza.

4.  Mari makes a silly face.

5.  Sunday game day.  the kids and I play the Bean game after church while Dad and Beth take naps.  We have been doing a lot of puzzles together too, some which take more than a Sunday afternoon.  It is fun to work on them all together.  The ones that are only 300 pieces we find the kids doing on their own on Saturday morning instead of waking us up!

6. Beth was obsessed with putting diapers on this polar bear of hers one week.  Like spent hours doing it, and also bruising its hair.

7. Beth and Marianne work on dolls and bears hair on their vanity.  They played this for hours one week too.  it makes me so happy when they play nice together and I love seeing them caring for the animals and dolls like little mothers.  They kiss the and put them to bed and brush their hair and I feel like they are mirroring my caring towards them and I love that that is what they want to play all the time.

8.  Kate at piano.  Sadly Kate gave her teacher attitude a few weeks ago, and it was reported to me so I got to go to piano lessons for a few weeks.  Which mean getting a babysitter to come over and watch the other kids and sit and watch piano.  But it was kind of fun or worth it to see what she is up to in piano.  She doesn't love piano, I wish she did.  But she gets to take it and she does have a very smart experienced teacher.

9.  After a hard week and Sam was at a friends house, I let Kate pick what we should do for dinner Friday night.  She picked to go to Dairy Keen.  So we went thru the drive through picked up happy meals. And to our wonderful surprise these dance batons were in the happy meals.  Well since it was kind of a girls night we came home and blasted the music and danced with our batons until Dad came home- and then he joined in too.  Kate liked them, Mari loved them, and Beth thought it was the best day of her life!

10.  Beth also loves these binoculars.  She holds them and says "I See you" in a sing song way and then laughs.

11.  Mari and Beth outside.  It has been beautiful here this winter.  I think most the days in February were over 60 degrees. So we played outside a lot.  I though the girls looked so cute in their animal hats!

February 20, 21, 2015

Kate was in our community theater- Timpanogas Valley Theater's- production of Sleeping Beauty.

The whole thing started over Christmas Break when I saw an ad for auditions for it.  I mentioned it to Kate.  She wouldn't let me forget it.  The auditions were in early January. 

So I took her to auditions.  I wasn't sure what auctions would entail- but told her that if they asked her to sing that she should sing the "NOEL" song that she had performed in choir.  It was a comical Christmas song with funny voices that she did really cute.  So we went.

They had the kids learn a dance together and then a song together. Then they decided to call them in in small groups to audition.  Kate went in with four other girls.  The first girl went, she sung a Taylor Swift song.  Then they asked Kate if she wanted to sing- and she said "no".  I was confused.  The rest of the girls went.  Each did a fine job.  Then they came back to Kate and asked her again if she wanted to sing, I butted in and said that she did want to sing- then just told her to sing "Noel" like we had discussed.  And so she walked out onto the edge of the stage.  I can remember what she was wearing- a bright orange and pink fleece- with a bright orange headband and her super blond hair all curled.  She looked adorable.  Then she sang- and put on the cutest performance that ever was.  She sang loudly and confidently and made the entire panel of directors smile and giggle. Then she sat down.  As I left a few of the helpers commented at how amazing she had been. It was true.  It was a clear moment of amazingness from Kate.  I almost cried she was so perfectly adorable and confident. They said they would do callbacks as needed.  Kate didn't get a callback, and so I feared she would be cast as a woodland animal or something that would be a lot of time commitment for a small little part.  I also worried she would be cast as some little part because she was one of the youngest and also because it seemed everybody there knew one another all ready- the same kids have been in and out of this theater for a little while.

A few days later they posted the cast list.  And there was Kate's name next to "Young Princess"  Which meant essentially that she would be one of the main characters, and the person which really the entire show revolved around.  I was so excited I called Jake, and then couldn't wait for her to come home from school to show her.

And then practices started.  She practiced a few hours each week.  She made a lot of friends and to be honest so did I- sitting at practice every week.  She would burst through the door from school each practice day and say "Sleeping Beauty Practice!"  She couldn't wait each day.  She got a script and memorized her songs and lines happily.  We got our costumes.

The play was a spin off of Sleeping Beauty.  Where the Young Princess (Kate) who we learn is Sleeping Beauty's daughter- asks the three fairies about a dress she finds.  It is the pink/blue Sleeping Beauty dress, and the fairies proceed to tell the Young Princess bits and pieces of the Sleeping Beauty Story.  To Kate asks questions and then they are answered with the fairies narrating and then a performance of part of the Sleeping Beauty Story.

The week before performance we spent a lot of time at the theater. Extra practices, dress rehearsals.

And every time I sat in the theater one of the directors (there were 6) would come up to me and tell me how amazed they were at Kate.  How she was a natural.  How they couldn't believe she had never done a play before.  How she was so bright and confident.  How she knew how to act somehow without them teaching her.  How the show would be nothing without her and the girl playing Malificent. How she was so talented.  How she was so adorable.  How she was so confident. How she was meant to be up there.  And I beamed from ear to ear, and rather came to like hanging out at the theater!

Then performance weekend came.

I attended every one of the three shows.  The first- and best show Jake and I took all the kids to.  My mom and Dad also came.  She did incredible!  It was her best show.  The next two shows she either forgot one little part or her microphone had a problem for her song.  But the first show was magical.  The next two were also great shows.  My grandparents and her teacher came to see her on Saturday afternoon, and Saturday Night Jake and I sat together in the front row watching her.

Each performance she came away with flowers from everyone, and other little gifts.  We made her sign our tickets for us.  Every show when I talked to those I was sitting by they would ohh and ahhh when I told them my daughter was the young princess.  Each night when she stood center stage and took the last bow in her little purple dress I would tear up.  She was perfect, adorable, confident and bright.  

My favorite parts were so many.  She had the opening line in the play.  She said "How Romantic" and did it in a dreamy exaggerated way that made the entire audience laugh every time.  Actually they usually laughed after most her lines because she was just TOO ADORABLE!  on top of it she looked so much smaller than most the other kids up there- they may have assumed she was a 5 year old and been even more impressed.  Each time the audience would laugh or sigh after one of her lines my heart would swell.    She had a little solo she sang too "When you have a busy busy day, here is how to turn your work to play, here's a little recipe that can't go wrong just sing a happy song" the rest of the song she sang with the three faries.

It was such a wonderful experience for me!  

Before one of her performances I interviewed her.  Where she told me how she loved being the main character and how she might want to be in movies or plays when she grows up.  She has told us time and time again how being in the play is her favorite thing she ever has done.

At the end of it all Jake and I took her to get a cupcake at Kneaders and she just glowed in compliments from us and all those we had heard all week.

I think we will be doing a play with this community theater again.  We had such a wonderful experience and it was so rewarding watching Kate do something she really really loved.

February 14, 2015

Valentines Day this year.
The week before the kids and I made Cupid arrows out of gum and chocolate hearts and decorative tape for each kid in their class- and Mari made some for some friends.  It took us forever.  But the kids liked the project.  I stabbed myself with one of the wood sticks and still have a piece of wood in my finger I can't get out.  I guess I get to have a physical reminder of how much I love my kids in for a while.
That morning I made the kids oatmeal with candy heart on top for breakfast.  They also each had  card and a box of chocolates waiting for them at the breakfast counter.
As you can see Beth was super excited about hers. In fact she sat in my bed for 45 minutes and ate all of her chocolate hearts before 9 am.  And was super happy!
Kate got to make a Valentines box for her school.  I got to bring in cupcakes for her class to decorate. She loved that I got to come.
Sam's class I got to be in charge of the whole Valentine party.  It was a real treat because I hadn't been able to be in his class at any other point.  It was fun all the kids kept telling me Sam was their friend.  He felt really special to have his mom in charge.  We played a few Valentines games and decorated cupcakes there too.
When we got home Mari wanted to deliver her Valentines. So we went to three of her little friends homes.  One of them had a valentine to give her back.  And she treasured it.  Sweet Mari had been making hearts for all of us and everyone she knows for the past two or three weeks.  She was so excited for Valentines Day.  That picture of her running around on the grass is right after she delivered her Valentines.  It was such a beautiful day and I couldn't help but think how beautiful and cool Mari looked running across the grass in her delightful way.

After delivering the three littles and I had lunch outside together.

That night Grandma Anderson came over and the kids had a little Valentine Party with her decorating sugar cookies and watching a movie.  Jake and I got a Valentines date. We went and saw "The Imitation Game" and then went to a fancy dinner in Park City.  This was all the day before Valentines Day really.  On actual Valentines Day we spent it laying our basement wood floors- and we actually finished them!  Okay Jake actually finished them.  Happy Valentines Day to me. Really though- I don't think anything is more attractive that a boy who builds and fixes things, especially when they are things I asked for.

I made the kids take some pictures the next day before church because they were all dressed and I put them each in red.  I love that little crew of mine.  They are so sweet and loving.  They are so good to me.  which is why my nightstand drawer is always filled with handfuls of cut out hearts and drawings and love notes whose content is hard to make out.