books

 
I love this. Once in awhile our family goes to Border's and we grab piles of books and go sit at the only table with 6 chairs. We each have our own pile. Blake's usually has writing resources, sports, biographies or the combination of the 3. Carter's usually involves some modes of transportation, beit trains, trucks or of similar nature. The girls tend to gravitate towards the frilly and fairies and such. It's always a nice time.

Re-training

 
Ok, so you know how there's the chemistry that happens between two people and how sometimes it can be inexplicable? I think that applies in our home, only it's not about romance as we often equate chemistry with and it's bad chemistry, not like me getting caught cheating on a Chemistry test in high school, but for some reason we have 2 children who really struggle to get along. I know that 3 is a crowd (3 girls) and there are rumors of middle-child syndrome (the two that are love-challenged with each other, happen to be sandwiched in between two other siblings) but are there any other explanations? They ARE capable of getting along but it's rarer than a 4-leaf clover sighting.

This picture is of one of our aformentioned characters. Her assigned task was to write 5 things that she loves about the other aforementioned character and 2 things she will be doing to get along with said person. I don't know how visible the writing is on the backside of her journal (from a previously assigned task to remember lovely qualities about her sister) but it says, "being ok with different ideas."

Walk

 
I had the privilege of walking with these two fine ladies yesterday. It was a beautiful morning. Yokohl Valley is so lush right now from all the rain. The C-Dawg did a fine job hanging with us. And if you thought I was spoiled already we got to share great conversation and a warm mug of coffee/tea afterward too.

Balloons

 
It was Blake's birthday yesterday. We had a great time celebrating. It was a day-long affair, which I guess is for everyone. He woke up to presents and cards from the kids. The C-dawg and I took him out for lunch. His class and room moms had a party for him too. Then, to top things off, we had friends and family stopping by all evening for food and fellowship. He said it was his best birthday yet. I'm glad he had a wonderful day. We love him very much and are very happy to share this life with him.

Andes Cookies

 
Christmas is over but I'm still trying to catch up. We never got around to making Christmas cookies this year. I was even prepared and had cookie dough ready. It's now in the freezer with some See's Candy and a Boterkoek. This recipe, however, has recently become one of my favorites of the last couple years. After baking the cookies you put an Andes Mint on each one. After they melt you swirl them around.

Bryce Canyon

 
On our way back home we took a detour and visited Bryce Canyon. We thought about the Grand Canyon, but it was too big of a detour and the Northern Rim was closed. We knew some inclement weather was on its way too so we decided that would be a different trip. Bryce was beautiful, and we enjoyed trekking along the snowy paths.

Great Salt Lake

 
On one of our days on the trip we decided to give our host family a breather from us. We drove to the Great Salt Lake and to Temple Square. The Great Salt Lake was beautiful. We hardly saw anyone, except for a herd of Bison and some brine shrimp (apparently the largest living organism in the lake). We had fun exploring and skipping rocks on the very buoyant water.

games

 
We played some games while we were visiting. Some traditional like Draw Scrabble and some not so traditional (at least for us who lived during the Atari Era) like Guitar Hero. I don't know if I was good at either. Draw Scrabble can be a nail-biter when one plays with Blake. Realistically, there is no time to bite nails. One has to get in the zone if there's even a chance. Sometimes when I play with him I can't even draw the Scrabble tiles quickly enough as he's yelling out, "DRAW!" "DRAW!" before I have a chance to collect my thoughts and figure out where to add the next letter. Then there's Guitar Hero. I only had the nerve to try it once. It's intimidating to watch my niece fly through the difficult levels with ease as if she's a back-up for The Edge. It was fun to play, even if I didn't excel like Webster or The Edge.

Sledding

 
We got to go sledding one day. It was a little icy but a lot of fun. The kids were a little scared at the speed of it but they all went down the whole way. It was a nice, long run. The second part was less bumpy than the first. Fortunately, my back survived the day.