March 2021

 This is my first blog of March and its already the 26th! This month has gone surprisingly fast which has been nice. I have been helping prepare a baby shower for my cousins daughter in law and trying to sew and teach and exercise, and sleep. I hurt my back somehow at the beginning of the month and it was hard to feel so out of commission. It amazing how much your lower back does for ALL movement. Sean showed me some exercises and I have been doing those as well as walking/jogging and some yoga and it has gotten quite a bit better. 

Sean has continued to be in charge of Brett and Alana's tech course for homeschool. Brett is doing programming through minecraft and Alana is doing robotics and early programming. One day Brett's assignment had him learning about electrical circuits. They use a lime and some (clean) coins to test electrical currents. I wasn't home so i'm not sure exactly what happened when he put his tongue on it. 

We celebrated my Dad's birthday. We recently found a yummy cake recipe using a box cake mix. We went to a favorite steak house of my dads and it was nice to eat in an actual restaurant although the service was slow (and we aren't used to waiting). After dinner we drove to Mom and Dads for some singing and cake. 

Brett earned his purple belt in Martial Arts. He works so hard in class and I am super proud of him! The ceremonies look a little different with social distancing. The people all standing together are members of the same family. 

I bought myself some new airpods and I love them! They are fantastic! 

Brian and Jill went on an overnight late Valentines date and Papa and Mimi asked if we could come help for some of the time. I told the kids I'd pay them if they did the babysitting. Alana is a natural. Lizzie likes to play. And Brett isn't quite sure what to do, but he is happy to help.

Sometimes we pull out treats for our lessons. It makes reading lists of words a bit more fun. Alana actually preferred the corn flakes to the M&Ms in this picture.  Also look at that braid in her hair! She has been brushing her hair everyday and wearing (mostly) clean clothes. 

Sleeping babies never get old. 

I got a new curling wand too and Liz and I tried it out one morning together. 

We went to This is the Place with Kaden, Lexi, and Rebecca one Friday. It was so fun to be outside and all together. Everything is still closed for winter, but we had fun at the playground and animal farm, we walked through a few houses and got some treats from ZCMI and Brighams Donuts. 

I'm looking forward to going out lots more this summer. Things are starting to open up and vaccines are now available to all Utahns over the age of 16.  

Sean added the trim to the edges of the mudroom and now he just needs to finish caulking and painting. 

Alana is so pleased that she is able to do the splits. She does them everywhere we go!

I took some pictures for Brian and Jill at the BYU duck pond. It was fun to take the kids too. 

It was really cold!! Xander and Lucy did great for a few minutes and then they just got too cold. We got some good ones though. 

Another fun adventure we took was to Soldiers Hollow in Midway Utah. Mom and Dad P got an invitation for a private event from their real estate company. The tickets would have cost us $130 (I know because I had literally just looked it up before they offered). It was a lot of fun! It was a warm day and we were all sweating in our snow clothes, but it was a lot of fun and we all want to go again. As we left there was a food truck giving out free donuts from the real estate company. 

After you get your tube you get on this conveyor belt that carries you and your tube up the mountain. Lizzie had to go in her own but we could hold on to her and make a train. By the end she was fine going all by herself. The hardest part was getting her and her tube up. Sean had to take her tube and I held her hand on the conveyor belt. Brett and Alana were champs and were totally able to do it on their own. 

The kids get on kicks from time to time and one day they spent 6 hours making perler bead creations. Dinosaurs, dragons, phoenix, unicorn, and all kinds of things. They even revisited it a few times over the next few days. 

My sweet Oreo

We have 9AM church right now and we recently went to meeting in person every week. On the Sunday after Daylight Savings we were able to make it on time. Alana and Sean were matching. 

I got my first vaccine!! It hurt and my arm was a bit sore for a few days but no other symptoms. Next show beginning of April. 

Momma Z made us a new quilt and I drool over it every time I see it. Its super soft and warm too! 

The boys all came to visit me one Thursday while I was sewing. 

More splits!

I love that I walk into my bathroom and find this sometimes (even when its not bath day!)

Oreo likes to sack out by the front door. He was particularly cute on Sunday while Sean and I were doing virtual Sunday School. 

Sean is so good at getting our garden started. He got everything planted last week and the green beans are already growing! 

Oreo loves his chair =) 

We went to a drive through baby shower for Sean's secretary and they gave us all little goodie bags. Lizzie loved the lip gloss and lotion and of  course chocolate. Brett, Sean, and I loved the gummy bears.  We tried to go to Leatherbees after this but it was so busy =( So we ate at the Target food court before spending tons of money on new shoes for kids and some shorts.  

Alana and Liz think they are so cook when Alana gives Liz a piggy back ride. 

Our sweet neighbor Grace and her cousin Caeley came over for some fun the other night and even got to stay for dinner and all the was till bedtime. Alana and Lizzie LOVE to play with Grace but she isn't allowed to play until her chores are done and she doesn't always do them. They were playing dolls and it was so sweet. Love her bedroom and how it fits her personality. 

Alana and Lizzie have been fighting A LOT! They were fighting over a mattress we have on the floor in the basement for jumping on.  Both of them were sobbing and fighting over my lap. It was ridiculous and I was trying really hard to breath and not yell back at them. I asked Brett to come over by me once the girls finally started back to work. He put his arms around me and just stood there snuggling me for awhile and it was heavenly. Its fun that he is at an age where he can offer so much comfort! 

We tired Leatherbees again on Thursday after Brett's allergy shots. It was so so yummy! And the kids are already begging to go back. Lizzie wants to go for her birthday =)