Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!

April 24, 2011

Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!

Happy Easter

We have had a wonderful Easter. The Easter Bunny brought a sewing machine- what a cool Easter Bunny! Now the girls can start their huge project box! Bob, Kayla, and I sang a song with the ward choir that Marisa accompanied beautifully on her violin. Marisa also spoke today and did a great job.

(Notice all jelly beans have been organized by color!)

Happy 18^th Anniversary

This Friday was our 18^th anniversary! It’s hard to believe it has been so long. Beautiful roses were delivered to my doorstep and I made Bob a Reese’s bouquet. We didn’t go celebrate yet since Bob’s CT scan showed he had pneumonia and I had a cold. So, instead, we had a quiet evening at home and shared a Shamrock Shake. It’s been an Amazing 18 years and I am so excited about many, many more!

The Joy of a Child’s Perspectives

It has been another rainy, dreary, cold week. It’s like Mother Nature has been teasing us! We had another huge rain storm (which I do love to watch) and Alayna was SO excited. She pulled on her boots, ran to get her umbrella, and literally spent the next 30 minutes singing and dancing in the rain! She even pulled off some pretty impressive leaps. Sometimes I am really grateful to get those few moments that give me small glimpses of the world through a child’s eyes.

More Joys

*Making Homemade Tacos (which Tyler has been dying to do for months!)

*Putting in the new raised garden bed for the strawberries.

*Alayna has been working very hard on her Titanic project. She and I went to Michaels and bought her materials. She knew exactly what she wanted and how she wanted to do it, so I let her run with it. I will include some preliminary pics and will include the one of the final project when she is done. She is Mrs. Astor in the play they are doing next week and she is so excited.

(Working on the iceberg)

(The iceberg with the Titanic)

*We are overjoyed to have Grandma and Grandpa Hart here for the week for Easter, the musical, and the science presentation!

“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. But when life hands you a LOAD OF CRAP, don’t make anything. Trust me on this one”

“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. But when life hands you a LOAD OF CRAP, don’t make anything. Trust me on this one”

My friend at work gave me a card this week that said the quote listed above. I died laughing and after the week I had had, I needed the laugh! I guess it is those bad weeks that make you appreciate the good ones, right? But sometimes I can really do WITHOUT the loads of crap! So, I will focus on the good things that happened this week.

Kayla Rocks

This week she won one doubles match and lost one. I would also like to add how AMAZING our experience was when she got her patriarchal blessing last Sunday. I can honestly say that some of my most profound spiritual experiences are when I have gone with my children to get their blessings!

(High School tennis team picture)

Iowa Weather

Sure- I could complain and go on and on about how much it SUCKED that it actually snowed yesterday! Or how we had 45 mile an hour winds. Or how nasty the weather was when Bob and Tyler did the Young Men Service project delivered compost to an Elderly Living Facility. Or how the tennis meets were cancelled so the kids wouldn’t blow away or turn into frozen statues. Or how I did my hair this week but by the time I actually got in to school I looked like Medusa.

(Alayna played out for hours in the warm weather)

But instead, I will focus on the fact the first part of the week was GORGEOUS! We planted onions, potatoes, and asparagus. My beautiful tulips bloomed although they shut up supertight when it snowed. Frankly I’m surprised they survived.

Prom

Marisa was specially chosen for an honors orchestra to participate in on May 14. The geek said yes to her conductor because she figured no one would ever ask her to prom. Well, in the past 2 weeks I have had 2 different boys contact me to arrange ways to ask her to prom. So, I had to tell her that my “Mother’s Gut” says she shouldn’t do the orchestra and I emailed her conductor to say she couldn’t go. She was confused. Anyway, she got asked today by David and I took a picture of the adorable way he asked. She was ECSTATIC and tried her dress on within seconds of reading it. Then she and Kayla made a basket of plastic eggs and cut up the words “I’d be HOPPY to go with you to prom” and put the slips in the eggs. Awww!

Other News

*Our friends came over again to watch “Megamind” and play dress up!

*Tyler was set apart as the 2^nd counselor in the Deacon’s Quorum Presidency.

*My end tables came in!

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.

April 10, 2011

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.

(Bern Williams)

Hallelujah! The weather has been gorgeous this week!! We have been outside walking, running, playing at the park, gardening, etc. We are LOVING feeling the actual warmth of the sun on our skin. I was so excited to be outside I forgot to take many pictures this week. We started our garden, cut down some bushes, etc. It has just felt like heaven. I almost ran out of the house this morning singing “Oh what a beautiful morning” but I refrained.

(Beautiful thunderstorm, but my pic doesn’t do it justice!)

Odds and Ends

~Bob played in the Stake Men’s Basketball Tournament yesterday, but they lost both games. Apparently the guys they play each year keep getting younger and younger…

~Marisa and Kayla had State Solo and Ensemble yesterday. Marisa did a solo and received a division 1 (the highest you can get) and a duet with a friend that also received a division 1! Kayla was part of a woodwind ensemble but we don’t have her score yet.

~Alayna had some friends over to play dress up this week.

~Kayla won her tennis meet this week! Whoo hoo!!

~Tonight Kayla will be receiving her patriarchal blessing. We are so excited for her and this big step she has been preparing for!

That’s it for this week. I will try to be better at pics and info next week.

SpongeBob and a Bonsai Tree

SpongeBob

Alayna has been obsessed with drawing lately and her biggest theme has been SpongeBob. She has covered my fridge with her different pictures. She says she might want to be an artist when she grows up!

Early Anniversary

My surprise anniversary gift accidentally arrived early this week. Bob got me a beautiful indoor Bonsai Tree called a “Dwarf Hawaiian Umbrella Tree”. Not only did he get something so thoughtful that represents our summer plans, but also to match my new décor and go on my new end table(yes, that’s what he said)! I just love it and it’s a PERFECT gift!!

ITS DONE

Well, it took almost 5 weeks, but the house is DONE. We literally cleaned and organized every square inch of this place. The right side of the shed is stuffed with garage sale stuff. The storage room took all week. I SHOULD have taken a before picture because you would never believe the difference, But I will include the after picture. It is an incredible relief to have it all done. Now I get to start on some other projects I’ve been waiting to do.

Well, not much else happened this week. Marisa bought some beautiful spring flowers for us, my tulips broke through the ground, and Marisa and I went for a 5K practice before our run this month. The weather has been gorgeous and we are thrilled Spring is on its way! Only 36 days left of school!!!!

*Pics I forgot to add from last week

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away

My new vinyl arrived that I put downstairs. It got me to thinking about what moments in my life have taken my breath away. I guess I thought I would share my top 5 so it can go in my blog book just for fun.

1. The greatest decision I ever made was to marry my best friend! This month is our 18^th anniversary and I am more and more in love with him every day.

2. My very 1^st baby! Marisa’s arrival was an amazing and beautiful experience. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

3. Although it took 53 brutal hours, I was so happy to have Kayla join our family. Such a beautiful, sweet, and tiny baby.

4. The arrival of my only son. This time the epidural actually worked and I was able to assist in the delivery. An amazing and memorable experience.

5. The arrival of our last baby. Although she was a very sick baby, we were so thrilled to add her to our growing, eternal family.

This is only 5. I feel blessed to have had so many experiences in my 40 years that have truly taken my breath away!

Kidnapping and Happy Birthday Kayla!!

Happy 15^th Birthday to Kayla!!!

Kayla turned 15 yesterday! I am always reminded of the 53 hours it took to bring her sweet spirit into the world. She had kind of a tough week and was even home sick one day. But I think yesterday, the actual birthday, was a success! She requested Pizza Ranch for lunch which was fun to go to as a family.

Then, her friends planned this HUGE surprise party! They came over in masks, stormed our house, and kidnapped Kayla. She let out this blood curdling scream and they attacked her with cans of silly string, put a hood over her head, handcuffed her hands, and literally carried her off to their car. They took her to laser tag, played games, and even made her a cake! Im so thrilled she has great friends here. The only bad thing is that we forgot to tell poor Alayna that they would be coming to kidnap Kayla. After the kidnapped Kayla, I looked back and saw poor Alayna who looked like she just had a heart attack! She literally thought we were being attacked! Note to self: Next time give Alayna a heads up!

White chocolate raspberry cinnamon rolls

The raspberry rolls were a huge success!! They are so yummy! However, I am reminded why I don’t normally make things from scratch. Its way too much work and it makes such a mess. But so yummy!

Misc Stuff

~Marisa received her personal progress award today!

~Bob finally went to the doctor and we found out he has walking pneumonia!

~Tyler received an “Outstanding Soloist” award at the Coe College Jazz Summit!

~ Tyler had a HUGE show choir week! On Wednesday I was the show choir mom for their performance at Excelsior. Brought back so many memories of the dance studio: missing costumes and shoes, hair issues, late kids, etc. On Thursday I helped chaperone their elementary tours. Then yesterday, they performed at 2 different shows for the show choir show case. He did such an awesome job!!!

(Tyler is on far right doing solo)

~We got chalked and they put BBQ sauce on Marisa’s car.

~Girls started tennis team this week. It was way too cold to be playing outside but they did anyway.

7 Wonders of the World according to Tyler

1. League of Legends

2. Sitting

3. Spicy Doritos

4. Making noodles and eggs

5. Eating

6. Riding his bike

7. Show choir

7 Wonders of the World according to Alayna

1. Playing Webkinz

2. Food

3. Exercising

4. Watching TV

5. Wii

6. Riding her bike

7. Bowling