All Dressed Up

One of the girls at church needed a Prom date.  Sam had 3 things going for him:  He recently turned 16 which, in our house, means he can now date; he already owns a tuxedo; he's a super nice guy who is fun to be around.  

Sadie was really getting into the whole thing with her attitude of "Woo-woo Prom!" which completely embarrassed Sam. Tonight is more about two friends hanging out - nothing serious - but I'm proud of Sam for being willing. He sure looked spiffy before the big event! 

Sam, all dressed up, with Savannah (not so dressed up):

 

The "D" Word

Sadie has become our little calendar keeper. She made sure everyone's birthday was written on the correct day, she crosses off each day when it is through, and apparently she alters it whenever it fits her 6-year-old agenda.

For as long as I can remember, Sadie has had an irrational fear of doctors and dentists. They have practically become bad words in our home because if we say them within earshot, she comes undone.

So we don't say them.

The other day, I was looking at our upcoming week on the calendar and saw that something had been crossed out with black sharpie. That struck me as odd because a single pen stroke has always been enough to indicate that plans have changed. So I tilted the paper to see what was written there first. Dentist. Then I laughed! I knew exactly who did it. I wrote it again underneath because I knew I'd forget about it if I didn't. The next day, that had been completely blotted out as well.

I am happy to report that, despite the calendar, all eight of us saw the dentist this morning. Sadie was so brave. She walked away with a new Princess toothbrush and a smile on her face.

Eight people, no cavities.

I walked away with a smile on my face, too!

The Imaginators Club

Soren has started a new club called The Imaginators. Their motto is "Use imagination, Fight evil!"

So, if you happen to be available on Saturday after lunch, feel free to sign up! Remember to bring your bouncy ball, blanket and imagination. Oh, and don't forget your ID card and pocket (instructions above). The more the merrier! :)

Positive Psychology: Shawn Achor

My brother, Dave, shared this TED talk video with me. I love it! It's about happiness and that's my thing. :) I know it's long, but if you can find 12 minutes in your day, you won't regret it. Let me know what you think.

Zigzag Clouds

This was the view out of our dining room window during breakfast the morning. As the clouds get farther away, they start to zigzag.

South

 No zigzags here, but still pretty cool!

West

I love my little corner of the world!

The Barnyard Map

Our high school definitely has its flaws, but the spring musical isn't one of them. We have such an amazing group of talented kids in this area, not to mention a fabulous director, a demanding musical coach, and a choreographer who knows his stuff. We all look forward to the musical each year and we've never been disappointed. (I wrote about last year's musical here.)

This year's show is Honk! which is a musical adaptation of The Ugly Duckling. Never heard of it? Neither had we, but now that Sam and Savannah are familiar with the script, they have assured us that it's clever and funny. We can't wait!

The director called me in last week and asked if I would make one of the props. Apparently there is an Admiral Goose who is always getting lost and carries a big map around with him. I was asked to make the map. My instructions were to make one map and then make another map exactly like it with bullet holes. (Yeah, we're anxious to see how that works into the play!) She gave me a couple of general ideas to get me started, but pretty much left it up to me.

Savannah told me some of the locations mentioned in the play and here's what I came up with initially:

Excuse the glare and lighting. The map is pretty big: 30" wide and about 20" high. I made this and then made another exactly like it, but they looked too clean and new. So, with director's approval, we roughed them up a bit, added the bullet holes to the 2nd one, and they ended up looking like this:

I dropped them off at rehearsal tonight and the director loved them! Hooray! Sam, who plays a Bullfrog, and Savannah, a domesticated house cat, have only two more weeks of rehearsal until the play. We're looking forward to it! :)

Freedom

Sam drove today with no adults in the car!!

Yes, Sam is the proud owner of his very own Driver's License! Wahoo!!!

Okay, I will confess that I was in no hurry. I mean, adding over $1100 to our auto insurance isn't something I was eager to sign up for. But when Jeff pointed out how much time this will save us, not to mention miles on the car, I reluctantly agreed. Now:

• Sam can drive to Seminary. This saves Jeff 30 minutes every morning and 60 minutes on Fridays when it's in the next town.
• Sam can drive to school. This will save me two trips a day for school and two trips a day for play practice and the car will only have to make the trip twice. (And I don't have to listen to anyone fight over who gets the front seat. Yes!)
• Sam can drive the kids to church when Jeff and I have early meetings. No more dragging everyone there by 8:00. 
• Sam can help drive on family vacations. Twenty-seven hours of driving in a stretch will be much nicer when divided by three. :)
• Sam can take Sadie on dates to McDonald's. I know that may not sound too exciting to you (or me) but it's all Sadie can talk about since Sam walked in the door this afternoon. She even offered to pay! :)
• Sam can run errands for me. Hooray! (I haven't mentioned this little perk to Sam. He'll be so excited, I'm sure!)

Well, I'm convinced. :)  Way to go, Sam!

Angry Birds: A Treat Bag

Soren's 3rd grade classmates are crazy for Angry Birds! I've seen folders, pencil toppers, erasers and t-shirts when I help in his classroom. Today someone had a birthday and handed out these adorable Angry Birds treat bags.  So clever!

An Easter Laugh

Growing Paperclips

Sadie's 1st grade teacher showed the class a large paperclip and told them she grew it from a small paperclip placed in water. There were some skeptics so she told them to go home and try it for themselves. (I'm guessing this was her April Fool's joke on the class!) Sadie found a paperclip on Saturday, remembered the experiment and decided to give it a try. She placed her paperclip on the kitchen counter, poured a small puddle of water over the top, and checked on it every few minutes.

I couldn't resist.

After a bit, I replaced her small paperclip with a larger one.

I wish you could have seen her face, hands clasped over her mouth, as she gasped when she saw it. (The fact that it was no longer pink didn't seem to matter in the least!) She made sure everyone knew what had happened!

Her curiosity piqued, she decided to leave it for a while longer to see if it would grow even more...

No way! By this time a couple of her brothers were torn. Could this be real? Sadie and Soren both left for school Monday morning determined to tell their teachers all about the successful experiment!

I knew I was in trouble when I saw a slew of small paperclips in a puddle of water the next day...

Ah, to be six again!
This story unfolded just as written, but all photos are recreations of the event using the actual paperclips. :) 

Before and After: Goodbye Braces

2011:

2012:

Wow! :)

Sweet 16

I am officially the mother of a 16 year old. I don't know how this happened. I swear Sam just started kindergarten a couple of years ago. But somehow he is suddenly a 16 year old, five-foot-nine sophomore who weighs 120 pounds soaking wet.

Sadie has been beside herself with excitement for Sam's big day. She's been reminding him daily how many days until he turns 16 and she's been more affectionate than usual, clinging to her "Sammy boy" as she talks about his upcoming birthday. She worried I hadn't bought any presents and so she made a list of things I could get for him including chapstick (Sam is always losing his), plants and pizza. She knows her brother! She helped me wrap presents and added little notes to each one. This one says, "your abl to go on datets wou wou."
[translation: "You're able to go on dates. Woo woo!"]


I love Sam for his sense of humor, his sharp intellect, and his desire to do what is right even when it's unpopular. He doesn't care what other people think about him, but he just goes about doing what he thinks he should. When Sam puts his mind to something, he is unstoppable. He loves plants, hanging out with his friends, reading, and eating. (Not necessarily in that order.) He says he loves sleeping, but I have yet to figure out how to get him to go to bed at night...

Happy Birthday, Sam! I hope this is your best year so far!

(Sam's big day was yesterday, but our internet decided to go out around noon and wasn't restored until about 8:00 this morning. The picture was taken last night after we got home from Sam's patriarchal blessing and then Jeff's setting apart as the new 2nd counselor in the Stake Presidency. On to new adventures!)

April Fool's Day - Google Style