Meg

Our sweet Meg turned 5 this past week. I've said it before and I'll say it again I cannont belive she is 5! She is such a sweet girl.

Meg has always been the best sharer I know. If somebody has what she wants or is upset about something she will almost always give up what she has to make the other person happy.

She loves to tell us jokes and make us laugh

She has fire in her. She likes to compete in racing you everywhere and if no one will race her she will "beat the clock".

She also has a tender heart and if you look at her wrong she crumbles right before you eyes and cries and cries.

She tells me she wants to live with me forever in our house-I love it.

As always I put a little slide show of Meg together. Don't watch unless you have time, I tried to par down but I love old pictures.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

some catching up

Oh so much to say so little time. I will work backwards a little because Daren may want input as to how I display and explain Vietnam. I will say it was fantastic and we made it back alive (which was really my #1 goal). I was more afraid of dying in a plane crash than of Vietnam. So First bit of good news..... Lizza can ride a bike! After years of missed goals, dead lines, and threats she did it. Daren just took them off and she took off. She is so proud of herself and before school was over she would hurry and get ready and go ride her bike in the morning. 2nd news.... School is out yahooo! I am so happy to be done with school. We can now dictate our own schedule and I think it will be great.

3rd.....

No more gymnastics!

It has been fun and both

Abby and Lizza have enjoyed

it. Lizza will just sit down

and start stretching out

of the blue, trying new

moves and trying to push

Abby. It was good for both

of them but it will be nice to

take a break.

just in case you need to know

So I walk into the girls room to put something

away today and one of Lizza's notebooks is

lying open on the floor showing this...

It says, "what to do to get a puppy.

Do it the first time

hang up your stuff."

Is it working you ask? NO

Our dance teacher just had a litter

of black labs and yesterday we "visited"

them. They are only 4 weeks old but my kids

Were soooo in love with them. But I like

her ideas.

I was in charge of preschool this week and

we talked about safety. Every year I have the

police come out and talk and we get to

see the car and McGruff the crime dog comes.

It was a hit except I had Max (this year we

didn't trade) and he was terrified. He was

shaking and sobbing. I went in the kitchen

with him and accidentally turned around

and he saw the reflection of McGruff

and started freaking out again. Even today

in preschool we were talking about calling

911 and if he heard the word police his face

scrunched up and he started whimpering

and saying no police no police. Megan started

barking and he full on lost it. Needless to say not

a fan.

How could I forget

I had my birthday this month! Yep I am now 30. I cannot believe it. I never ever pretended to be this old when I used to play house growing up. It didn't think I would care and mostly I don't but a couple of days before my birthday I was reading my patriarchal blessing and felt like what the heck have I been doing the last 30 years! Nothing apparently. The good new is I won't be fulfilling my mission here on earth any time soon. The bad news is I'm not getting any younger it's time to kick it into gear. I don't like to draw attention to myself so on my birthday I prefer to lay low. I secretly think I married an accountant for that reason. (just kidding) But my b-days on Apr. 16th the day after taxes. So there's not time to really think about what to do for Julie's birthday. However, Daren doesn't do taxes but if he did..... Anyway this day was full of craziness so I was kind of looking forward to play the we'll get to my birthday later card. Daren had meeting all night and I volunteered in Abby's class to name some of the day's itinerary. Well some friends came and woke me up at 6:00 A.m. and took me to breakfast. It was so fun and they each made sacrifices to be up that early and come celebrate and it meant a lot to me. I really have good friends. Then I had to run to Costco later in the day because we had already gone 1 whole day with no milk or fruit. While I was gone some more friends came over and put balloons and a card with a gift in my house for me. It was so fun to come back to it. It took my a few minutes to figure out what it was and how it got there. But I loved it. Daren left work early brought me home dinner before heading to his meetings. I realized that night as I received 6 texts, opened some cards from the mail, and a answered a few more phone calls that sometimes it feels good to be remembered. I really am blessed to be around so many great people. Thank you to all who love me. If you forgot, thank you because a little to much would push me over the edge and make it uncomfortable for me.

moving on

I am getting bitter about all the candy that goes along with every holiday. I feel like our house has been full of holiday candy non-stop since Halloween! So I didn't want to do any of that this year. Daren felt they needed some so we compromised. They each got to find 5 plastic eggs. Then we gave them some small gifts i.e. a hula hoop, slinky, truck, and blendie pens. Daren did this scavenger hunt for them to find their baskets with their small gifts in it. He used scripture references to Christ and had them find different things or area's in our house. It was fun and I felt a little bit better about how we recognized this holiday. So in the past week or so we were reading D&C 56 which talks about Ezra Thayre and his refusal to go on a mission. We were talking about being rebellious and what that means why it's not such a good idea, etc. Later in the day I asked Meg to do something and she told me no. Then she stopped and said what's that word.....you know that one word......rebellious. I'm being rebellious right mom? Yes I guess you are. Okay now I know what that word really means but I'm not cleaning that room still. Super Lemuel. Daren and I are getting closer and closer to going to Vietnam and I am getting more and more excited. Our kids, however, are getting more and more nervous. They keep asking how long we'll be gone, if we die where will they go, and how will grandma know what to pack in Abby's lunch. I feel really bad that this is so disruptive for them. Every few years we leave for a week or so (Abby was 5 last time) but now they all care where as before it was going to be a "vacation" for them too. I haven't quite figured out how to settle them down. Lizza has already cried about it thrice (which is one of Abby's new favorite words). So now I feel really bad for my mom (I already felt bad for her) she is going to hear a lot of crying I think. Lastly, it's that time again. I need another enrichment idea. I am no good at this stuff! I have spent weeks cultivating a mock Amazing Race idea but the presidency wants this to be a mother daughter one and I just can't work out all the kinks in my head. So I am looking for ideas again.

why I love Daren

These are projects I have looked at and contemplated doing something about for a long long time. Apparently to long. So Daren organized both of these places plus did the dishes and made our bed. All before heading outdoors to do his"normal assignments" for Saturday. Sadly as you will see below they are daunting. We need a fence to keep Max alive this summer. We have a bit of a weed problem and some trees and grape vines that need some love and attention. I don't know why this stuff falls on Daren but then my kids remind me that he's smarter than me. So Daren can do it all and I love him more for it.

catch up time

Where to start. I would like to just make a clean break and start from here and move forward but I can't. I fear the last child has no record of growing up complaints. I do however,see how it can happen now. So I will step back and start from where I left off. come with me. MAX IS 2!!!Our little man turned 2 and we didn't even need the date to tell us that. He has the fun quirks that come with this age. He repeats everything we say and do, he comes up with some pretty funny things to do on his own, and he totally gets everything that is going on. We also have the bipolar mood swings. I don't know who can say that girls are worse than boys emotionally at this point. Max can freak out just as well as the rest. He also throws things as an added bonus and possibly freaks out on you with some kicking and hitting. I sometimes step back and watch and think holy smokes! I don't even have any words to describe it. Bear with me as I do one of my favorite things. Take a trip down memory lane.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I tried to make that painless but I love pictures. Anyway Max is now 2 1/2 he says. But everyone else is quick to remind him he is only 2. Which promptly turns into a debate and usually end in tears when Max hits or pulls the hair of whomever it was that was trying to argue with him. Max is fun. He still loves his daddy and when he leaves in the morning max wails and when he returns Max comes running and yells tackle me! He loves books and will sit and listen as you read them to him. He is always singing. Usually it is songs like High School Musical or some current song but he has a repertoire of primary songs he can belt out too. He loves "shooting hoops" and will do it with anyone who is willing. He makes me laugh everyday with things he tells me to do. I switch babysitting with someone and we watch her little Livie and Max will do anything in the name of Livie. I can say Livie coming over we have to do ____ and he will immediately stop and do it. We are so grateful for our Maxwell. Next spring break. We had a great break. It was so fun to have my kids at home and just be on our schedule. We saw Mands and most of the Wallace clan and manage to do somethings on our own in between. What you may ask well look and see.....

We did artist for a day it was fun. Meg opted out which was fine one less sitting fee.

Last for tonight (I'm tried)

We just got home this evening from conference. Daren and I had decided we wanted to make it a tradition to take our children to conference when they turn 8. Well in October we had just returned from Tahoe so we pushed it back to spring. I was so fun. Abby listened and said she liked being in the same room as the prophet and listening in person. It was fun. We got to spend time with our cousins Tanner, Anika, Brynne, and Aimee too. They met us down there. We also got to see Josh and Natalie and their cats-always a treat and our good friend k-k-k Dirstin. Kirst thanks for driving up to us it was fun to chat. So I think I've covered the basics for a while.

How could I forget the butterflies!

For Christmas we gave Lizza this butterfly house and she sent away for caterpillars which we watched turn into butterflies. It was so fun. One of the best presents I gave this year. So we watched them grow from tiny caterpillars and she released them into the wild

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