Look down!

I don't know what my problem is. I uploaded a photo a few days ago for a blog and finally got around to posting it the other day. But somehow it posted UNDER my Valentine post. See below. I don't know how to move it up to the top, so don't miss this fun and cute idea. BAPTISM BINGO!

Valentines

This is Daniel's cute valentine box that we made. He was really excited about it and won 2nd place and "most unique" in his class! It turned out so cute!

These are the little valentines we make each year. It started when Landon was in preschool and there were only 15 kids. Big deal. Now I have 3 kids in big classes and we had to make 90 of these little babies! That's 180 ears, 180 googly eyes, 90 noses and 90 faces! And I don't have a Cricut!!! Yes, we did it all by hand. I found out one day too late that my good friend has a Cricut. Next year, I guess. They are cute though, and they are a fun tradition to make together.
My Dad joined us for Valentines dinner, cookie decorating and Family Home Evening. I didn't get any other pictures on Valentines day, but we had fun at FHE taking turns telling each person what we love about them. And February is more than half way over......thank goodness! I can't wait for Spring!

Baptism Bingo

I've been wanting to post this for a while now. Sorry it isn't the best picture, but you should be able to zoom in and see the detail pretty well. I made it for primary a few years ago for a sharing time I did, but I have used it many times since. It has been a great Family Home Evening tool and a wonderful way to talk about baptism before the boys were baptized. Emma likes to play it with me sometimes just for fun! I used 2 poster boards and laminated everything. I just did blue cardstock for the "markers" and put masking tape on the back of them. That way I can store it all in a baggy and it's ready to go the next time! The white papers simply say what each square is in one or two words. We usually just play it as a group and each time a bingo is complete we all shout (we whispered it in primary) "BINGO"! We discuss each picture in a little more detail....for example, if the word is "white" I ask why white is important. If it is the picture of Jesus being baptized, we talk about who baptized him and so on. Each orange square is a song and when we land on a song we sing that song. Promises #1, #2 and #3 are the promises we make at baptism. They have to share one promise for each of those three squares. In no particular order they are:

We promise to take His name upon us.

We promise to obey the commandments.

We promise to always remember Him.

We play until the whole poster is filled up. It is a great way for the kids to understand a little bit more about being baptized! I hope some of you can use this with your own kids. I wish I had a pdf or something you could print, but I don't because it's so huge. I found most of the stuff online with clipart and it was fairly easy to make. The trickiest part was measuring the grid so it was all even and took up both posters. Hope you like it!

Snow Weekend

This past weekend we spent up at the Howells cabin. Thanks to Layne and Sara who have been so great to invite us every year! We always have such a fun time and this weekend was beautiful! We pack all our gear, food and kids on the snowmobiles and make the trek in for the fun weekend! It's quite an adventure and we all had a great time!

Here is Kate on our bed where she spent a lot of time watching a movie (shhhh...don't tell that we brought a portable DVD player on our "roughin' it" trip!)

Richard and Emma- Emma spent the whole day on the snowmobile with Richard. She loved being with him and feeling extra special!

Beautiful, warm, sunny Saturday morning heading over to the sledding hill.

Here is a great view from the top of the sledding hill. You can see the cabin at the bottom of the hill and the beautiful mountain behind that. It really was a gorgeous day!

Landon and Jessica

Jake, Emily and Daniel

Landon and Daniel

Chillin' on the sleds. Notice Kate is picking her nose. Nice.

Remember when you were a kid and had to walk up the sledding hill to make another run? Our kids have never known that life. Richard goes down after every run and pulls them back up! Lazies! Actually, it is the way to go!

Our little bug ready to head out!

Is it too much to ask?

Can't I just go to the bathroom without a child yelling my name over and over?

Can't I just have a full nights sleep without bottles or binkies or diapers or an extra body in my bed?

Can't I just enjoy a nice meal that I didn't have to throw together with "stuff" I found in the closet? Oh, and that I didn't have to cook!

Can't I just eat dessert 3 times a day and not gain weight?

Can't I just get ready for the day without a 2 year old dumping out all my makeup in the sink?

Cant the counter/floor/basement/bedrooms, etc. stay clean for more than 10 minutes?

Can't the boys have better "aim"?

Can't I just relax on a warm, sandy beach and read a magazine and drink a pina colada and get a tan?

If you are about to say you don't agree and don't want to come with me to my tropical island, you're lying!

Sleep deprived and toothless

Landon's science fair project did really well and is advancing to the district level! He got a cool medal and was very happy about it. Way to go, bud!

Yesterday I took him to the dentist because a filling had come out. The dentist said it would just be easier to extract the tooth instead of refill the cavity, especially since he'd be losing that tooth sometime soon anyway. I was so nervous for him, but as the Mom I had to tell him it would be okay. It really was okay and he did awesome. I got a little weak in the knees while I was holding his hand. Look at the size of that thing! Crazy!

A few of this weeks happenings

Richard did this painting the night after the horse painting (see below). Kate put the little black splotch on the face. This is a picture he did of Rocky, and although I consider myself a good artist, my stuff usually ends up looking cartoonish. He did a really good, realistic job, don't ya think?

I had some paints lying around the other night and Richard started messing around. He came up with this picture and I think he did a really good job. He isn't really an "artsy" guy, but I was highly impressed with what he did! He is a man of many talents!

Good ole Rocky got neutered last week. He spent the whole day lying on the floor whimpering and groaning. He's fine now and didn't have to wear the cone for very long because he broke it.
Landon and his friend Kyler did an experiment for their "Science Fair Project". They were testing the affects of sleep deprivation. I could have told you the results before they even began. Grumpy, tired, irritable, etc. They tried to stay up all night and didn't make it, but tested their brain function with a series of tests taken at 8 pm, 2 am and 7 am. Why did I ever tell him that would be a good project? Couldn't we have tested something else? Oh well. Live and learn!

Tonight is the Stake Sweethearts Dance and of course Richard and I are going. We never miss it! It's the only time we ever get to dance anymore, and Richard is a wonderful dancer. See? Man of many talents! He was so cute and gave me a bouquet of balloons yesterday with a message inside asking me to the dance! I love that man!

Peter Potter and Harry Pan

We are kind of Harry Potter nerds and I didn't really think Kate knew much about it, but she loves to say "Harry Potter". The other day she and I were doing a puzzle of a train- an old, steam engine train, and when it was finished she exclaimed, "It's like a Harry Potter train!" I guess she has seen some parts of the movies. Then the other day we were reading a book that had a picture of a snake in it and she said, "Harry Potter likes snakes. Harry Potter kills a snake!" Wow! She is super observant! Today she watched Peter Pan for the first time and she kept saying, "It's Harry Pan!" I understand the confusion. Peter and Potter do sound a lot alike. She's so funny!