February

In February, we:

*went on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Utah. Ed found out on Friday afternoon that he needed to be in the Salt Lake area for work all day Saturday. He said, "hey, let's all go." Two hours later we had arranged it all with Amy and told the girls when they walked in the door from school that they needed to pack. Look at us - parents of 5 kids and we're still so wild and crazy.

We got to Amy's house in Riverton late Friday. Saturday morning we took off for Provo and the Monte L Bean Life Science museum at BYU.

Keira with ol' Monte himself.

The museum was a lot bigger than I remember. The kids loved all the animals and displays. I loved the section with Pres. Packer's artwork. Ed's favorite was the warthogs.

Next we headed to the Cougareat for lunch (they have Chick-fil-A now, the lucky ducks), and wandered through the bookstore. And then we played with all the experiments at the Eyring Science Center.

Ed took some of the girls into the library and ran into one of his missionaries from Cabot when he was ward mission leader. Small world.

Everyone was starting to get tired and cranky at this point, so we said goodbye to Brigham.

We also said goodbye to Amy's family and drove around Provo for a while. We saw all our old apartments and the MTC and the new Provo City Center temple. Too bad this was such a last-minute idea, we would have gotten tickets to the open house. Then we took off for Salt Lake so Karoline could nap in the car. We went on a whirlwind walk through the Church History museum, where we happened to run into the Duryea family that we knew in Okinawa. Crazy small world. Then it was back to South Jordan where we dropped in on Uncle Steve and Aunt Kristy and Michael, and finally back to Amy's for pizza, homework (Kimberlee is in the middle of a huge 8th grade project called PACE), baths, and bed.

Sunday morning we said goodbye for real to Amy and drove up to Temple Square so we could go to church in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. 

Grandma Jo used to attend church there and I loved staring at the intricate ceiling during Sacrament Meeting...plus they met at a better time than Amy's ward. We were pleasantly surprised to find a few other children in the ward (when I went with Grandma everyone was 60+) and the Elder's Quorum President who spoke was from Boise.

Then it was home again. A crazy fast trip, but so nice to spend it with Ed instead of sending him off to work alone. And bonus: he wasn't called in to work while we were there. It was perfect.

*spent lots of time with cousins and family. We are still loving that.

In February, Ed:

*was surprised to be "awarded" a reserve line, rather than a flying line, for Delta. Amazingly, this was the first time he had to sit reserve, and it was good for him to figure out how that system worked. He got called in a few times and didn't get called others. We went on our trip to Salt Lake because that Saturday he was on "short call" - he had to be within 2 hours of the airport.

*flew a trip for the AF Reserves to Florida. He'd taunt me with pictures like these:

He deserves a little beach/pool/relaxation time. I'm not too bitter.

In February, I:

*was the glue. I was the chauffeur, the chef, the organizational guru, the secretary. It's my season in life, and I'm cool with that. I spent an afternoon volunteering in Kassie's class, went to a Relief Society activity on sprouting, and went to a Valentine's brunch with friends, but missed Book Club. Boo.

In February, Kimberlee:

*went to the Boise temple for the first time and was baptized for names Grandpa Law had found.

It was extra special being there with Grandpa, Lora and Brady.

*chose her high school. She was accepted to Renaissance, but in the end she wasn't thrilled with their choice of classes (and I think she was a little scared of the rigorous course load)...so Meridian High School it is. She feels good about it and I think it will be a good experience for her. She got all registered for classes and is hoping Japanese I, Drawing, and Intro to Animal Science are all available. I registered her for seminary and am a little baffled that we are getting a kid ready for high school.

In February, Keira:

*got shots so she could register for 7th grade classes. Keira used to ask for shots, I think mostly for the sucker she got afterwards, but she sure didn't enjoy these immunizations. She spent several days not moving her arms and wincing if anyone got too close.

*went to New Beginnings where she was spotlighted, and is counting down the days until she turns 12 and can move on to Young Women's.

*cut off her hair:

 *had her first orchestra concert

Can you find her? She's on the left, 2nd row, looking towards me. Here's a closer shot:

Keira wants to continue to play the violin, but doesn't want to fill her one 7th grade elective with orchestra...she chose drama instead. I should probably be looking for a violin teacher... She also got all registered for next school year, and will be attending a new school called Victory Middle. I'm super excited for her - Lake Hazel is way over-crowded and Victory will be much smaller and closer to us. Plus the principal, who I think is great, will be moving over to Victory. Win-win-win.

In February, Krista:

*went to the multi-school spelling bee.

She had studied the 3rd and 4th grade words so much she was just ready to get it over with. She started off strong, spelling "shining," "wildlife," and "precipitate" from the 3rd grade list, then "routine" again from the 4th grade list. Then she spelled "opponent" wrong and thus got 5th place. Right after she got out they moved on to 5th grade words (which she had never even looked at), and the 4 left got all those right, so they moved on to 6th grade words. Krista was super relieved to get out when she did.

*made an ocean box for her class Valentine's party

I really don't enjoy making Valentine's boxes, so I was super thrilled that she came up with her own idea and did it all herself.

*spent a day making a surprise for Ed and I in her room - turned out she was completely cleaning and organizing her bedroom and large closet. Best surprise ever, and she has kept it clean ever since.

In February, Kassie:

*studied penguins at school and ended the week with a penguin party. The kids were asked to wear black and white while they munched on black and white food. Cute.

*burst into tears when Krista spelled "opponent" wrong. She was much more upset about it all than Krista was. At the end she was still crying and loudly said, "I'm so mad at the girl who won. I bet HER family is happy!" I had to assure her over and over that Krista had done so well and that the girl who won deserved to win. Kassie is determined to win the 1st grade spelling bee next year and has already begun practicing.

*loved her class Valentine's party

*enjoyed lots of girl cousin time, first with Violet at her birthday party

Violet and Kassie are the bookends - they did nails and make-up and hair chalk. Kassie was in heaven.

And then we had a sleepover with Ani

We put up the Hello Kitty tent in Kassie's room and took Ani to church with us the next day. Kassie wanted to keep Ani the whole week, but I think Ani was ready to be back with her mom by Sunday evening. Ani is 11 months younger than Kassie, but look how much taller she is than my little midget!

In February, Karoline:

*learned how to open doors. Sad day. Nothing is safe anymore, especially in the pantry.

You can also see in these pictures how much she is obsessed with bling and accessories now. She would wear a dress every day if I let her - she calls them "pretties." Another girly girl.

*finally got her carseat turned around so she's facing forward. It made all the difference on our drive to Utah.

*cried her way through nursery all. month. long. She'd start screaming uncontrollably before we even got in the door and wouldn't let me leave her. My poor primary class was neglected during Sharing Time for weeks. Finally, the very last Sunday of the month we had a breakthrough. She cried all through playtime, even with me staying right with her, but calmed down for singing and snack. During snacktime I told her I would be right back, and she said, "Ok, bye." It was like she suddenly decided she would be fine. And she was. Ahhhh. Finally.