Move over Pioneer Woman

 Here's our aspiring butter churner.  I think we need to add a few more chores on the list because they got to whipped butter consistency.  Or maybe she's just showing off her culinary skills.

Jacie's grade got to experience a day of pioneer fun.  They got to walk on a simulated Oregon Trail and look at a covered wagon.  They had pancakes so they could eat their butter and sew a quilt piece.  What a fun way to learn.

blossoms

 This was the day we came back from the snow.  We went from winter to spring real quickly.  All the blossoms on our driveway kind of look like snow though.  They were actually blowing off the tree as I was taking the picture; I just wasn't able to capture it.

Sledding

 When Avery and I walked up the hill for the first time she really tried to convince me to start at a lower point.  Once we went down together, she said, "Let's do that again!"  I'm glad she overcame her fear.  Luckily there weren't any real injuries, other than Carter getting a bloody nose from getting knocked by someone coming down the hill.

Anticipation

 As you can see we have a few eager kids ready to tackle the snow.  We went to Montecito this weekend with I believe 10 other couples and their families.  Planning for this trip we were worried there wouldn't be enough snow to sled, but we had just enough.  It was so nice to wake up, go downstairs and decide whether I wanted a latte, or tea or whatever else they offered.  The kids made great use of the hot chocolate machine.  I didn't know which would break first, the machine, or the kid's stomachs.  Carter and Avery won that battle but Jacie and Kenna were feeling sick the next day.  Jacie said, that morning prior to getting sick, "I'm sick of hot chocolate."  I asked her how many she had, she replied, "5 or 6."  All the meals were provided and there were some planned activities for the kids.  It was truly a vacation for us all.

Cast of characters

 I got to eat breakfast this morning with Pippi Longstocking, Fancy Nancy, and Thing 1.  It was so much fun to get them ready this morning, partly because they were eager to get dressed (which is not a regularly anticipated activity around here) and partly because it was fun to color their hair and make them look like their book character that they chose to be for Book Character Day.  It's the grand finale to a week of no tv this week.  I offered to spray Carter's hair orange too but he didn't want to have anything to do with that.

Skating

 
The kids had a skating party a couple weeks ago. They had a good time. A couple of them even won a free drink during one of the games. For some reason, I am unable to center the pictures better in this collage, but you get the idea of how fun the day was.

Jacie

 

Blake

 

Breakfast

 
The kids made us breakfast the other day.

Dancing

 
For about a week or so, Avery has been wearing some heels of mine so Carter wanted to wear Blake's shoes. Avery really wanted to dance. It took a little convincing of Carter to go along with it but he finally acquiesced.

White

 
This is how Kenna wears a white sweatshirt: Walk up to a parking garage wall, lean against it, and see end results.

Trains

 
In Old Sac we went to the train museum. Even if you're not a big train fan it's a pretty cool museum to check out. We got to walk in a few train cars. One even shook a tiny bit, it felt like it was moving.

Capitol

 
After Sutter's Fort, we went to the capitol. It was actually a nice day to go because it wasn't busy.

Meeting

 
We had a family meeting under the tent at Fort Sutter. We were determining whether to churn some butter or to make a basket. From time to time we have family meetings at our home so we thought we would pretend to have one from 1849.

Sutter's Fort

 
We like to be spontaneous once in awhile. We'll go for a hike or eat in the park. This weekend we had an extra day just burning a hole in our proverbial pocket so we headed to Sacramento. Here is an inside look of Sutter's Fort, at least the door. The kids made a paper structure of it at home. I also printed out a word search but we never got around to doing that. I was trying to find some fun activities that could reinforce their learning but a word search with "JohnAugustusSutter" might not go over so well with a four year-old. I know our children are exceptionally bright but that might be a bit above their level. Kidding aside, we had a very full and fun-filled day.

Prez

 
We got to see and hear President George W. Bush a few nights ago at the Farm Show. We had some generous parents, who are very thankful for Blake and his impact on their daughter, buy us tickets to see him. I was disappointed because I saw that we were not allowed cameras in the place, so being the law-abiding citizen I am, I didn't bring my camera. We enjoyed a delicious dinner catered by Fugazzi's, enjoyed a few commercials for the Army, Navy and Marines and then when President Bush was introduced, everyone pulled out their concealed cameras, cell phones and other recording devices. I regretted following the rules. I guess it would be really neat to read this and find out that I learned a very valuable lesson in following the rules and I was rewarded greatly by being allowed back stage afterwards to have a moment with George by myself and was given an autographed picture. But I wasn't. We really had a great time and felt lucky to be able to attend something like this and well, I'm still thinking, "I wish I had brought in my camera." You're probably now wondering, "How did she acquire this picture then?" Well, I would love to give credit to a fellow member at our table for giving me the picture but then you would all know he didn't follow the rules. Disclaimer: It wasn't any member of the party that purchased the tickets for us either.

Hair

 
This girl gets so tangly when she's sleeping. I must say she's gotten a lot better with her pain threshhold as whining and crying would often be heard from the bathroom. Any suggestions on how to prevent this? Or any hair-brushing technique that I'm not aware of?

Valentine

 
 
 
Just imagine a hole punched through where their hand is sticking out and a sucker slotted through the hole. I saw this in Family Fun magazine. Perusing around the internet, I have seen some really cute ideas for valentines too. People are so creative. Just getting the girls to punch a hole, matte the picture on red or pink cardstock, sticking a sucker in the hole and signing their names took about 2 weeks. I better get started now if I want next years done.

Kids

 

Dentist

 
Some people maybe get a coffee once a week. Some might exercize. I go to the Dentist/Orthodontist. Between Kenna who just got a spacer put in or cavities being filled or teeth cleaning, I have been learning all things dental. I now know what a cross-bite is. I know about genetics (Blake's side, of course :) ), how to budget, make appointments, and sign my kids out of school.

Here is Carter's first Dentist appointment. He did such a great job! They took x-rays (which he promptly corrected the dentist and said, "No, they're not x-rays, they're pictures). He got to look like Joe Cool during the cleaning portion of the visit and his most anticipated part. . . the treasure box. He picked out a pair of shades while Jacie appropriately picked out a ring.