Spring break and Redneck Moments

Robert planned a Spring break trip for us this year. I thought he would have to work the entire time, so I hadn't any expectations. Remembering that it is still early spring and the temperatures are definitely lower than last year at this same time, don't be surprised when I thought he was absolutely crazy for planning a camping trip in Pennsylvania! I went along, begrudgingly, but trying to put a happy face on. We ended up only spending Thursday night camping, because it was suppose to pour rain on Friday. Instead, it decided to wait until Saturday- our day we planned to spend at Hershey's park.
Camping actually turned out pretty fun, except for the mating geese right behind us and the very cold night that I couldn't sleep through. Even Robert said, "I wouldn't have wanted it any colder." For Rob, my little heater, that is saying something. I am a naturally cold person and I think the older I get the worse my circulation is getting. Now, just getting in and out of the car and walking to the gym and then back to my house, freezes my hands until they are numb. It takes hours before I get the feeling back in them. The poor people in the ER hate me when I touch them- because the ER isn't cold enough, right? So the cold really was hard on me. Most of the time I was in a long sleeve shirt and had two jackets on top of me and was still cold. We had fun roasting marshmallows, building fires (we kept seeing everyone coming out of the camping office with bags of wood that cost them $5. We had just stopped at a park on the way up and gotten all kinds of wood that was on the ground. Then we picked up the wood all around our campground. There was plenty of it for all the fire we wanted, being early spring and all!),making foil dinners and playing around in nature. Before we left for the camp ground Rob had marked the boys, "in case they got lost."Max thought it was great fun to pull down his pants and show you his mark!Friday night we stayed in a hotel, but still had plenty of food from camping, so we opened the window in the hotel room and had ourselves a little redneck moment!While we were in Pennyslvania we couldn't resist a stop at Hershey's, where we bought entirely too much candy. I kept telling my children that I was sure the Easter bunny had plenty of candy to bring them, but who can resist a fresh Peanut Butter Cup?
After the rain let up on Saturday, we headed to Hershey's park and had a great time. Most of their rides have enough safety features on them that little kids can ride them as well. Joseph got to ride his first big roller coaster! I watched his little face. He had the biggest eyes, but never looked too scared or held on too tight. It was amazing! He was ready to ride it again. I told him the first rollercoaster I ever rode on was with my Aunt Karen- I think she and my brother Karl tricked me into it, because I remember getting to the head of the line and realizing what it was and begging to not go on it. I cried most of the ride, but then immediately wanted to do it again! We even got Max on a rollercoaster. We told him it was a train. Was that terrible? It wasn't that bad, but he didn't want to do it again and when I asked him if he wanted to ride the slow train, he said, "no!" Ok, I know, bad Mom!This ride he is actually having fun on- you just can't tell from the facial expression. That is why I took the picture. It is his concentration face. He is making the bee buzz by pressing a button over and over. He actually really loved this ride!
There were lots more rides we wanted to try, but the Easter Bunny had work to do, I had to get back and do somethings for my last sharing time, and I knew Rob would want to clean up before we had Easter the next day, so after a quick stop to get more treats we headed back home with our belly's full of chocolate! Thanks Dad for a great Spring Break trip, but maybe I should help plan the next one!

Not Quite so messy of an Easter

For me Easter is about new church clothes. OK, I know. It is really about our Saviour and the price he paid for us, but you can't hear about that in your old church clothes according to my twisted mind. My husband reminded me that last year he decided to make Easter breakfast and then he was ridiculed for quite awhile afterwards when the DD decided to spill grape juice all over her new Easter dress. This year we decided to have cereal- something we rarely do, and some white grape juice. Emma came down in street clothes and the boys were not allowed to wear their Easter shirts until they were done. Of course we had to have at least one mishap. Samuel didn't think that hot chocolate drinking was part of the being done requirement to putting on his shirt. Needless to say, we did a little quick washing before church.

I forgot to get a picture, before half of us were out of our Easter outfits, so only the boys are in the "Family Easter Photo." We will get a belated one next week.

After church (where I was released from my calling in the Primary Presidency- and that is a whole new set of ramblings for another time) we came home and then went to a friends for a BBQ and an egg hunt. The kids all had a great time!

Why I hate DC or My learning curve is pretty steep

Sunday after the first session of Conference we decided to go see the Cherry Blossoms in DC. My idea! I thought that since the big parade and street fair was yesterday that this would be a great time to go and take some pictures without a million people running around. Can I just state here that I hate DC! Everyone always says there is so much to do and see here, but the problem is you can't do or see any of it, because there are so many people trying to do the same thing! We live right outside of DC and so it doesn't take that long to go into DC. We spent 4 hours in the car- 40 minutes on a very short bridge and in the end we just turned around and headed home, because the traffic and the parking and everything else was impossible. We never even made it to the tidal basin. Yes, we have seen the Cherry Blossoms before, so it wasn't a huge deal that we didn't get to see them. It just made us sore, tired and extremely grouchy. What's the use of stuff to do, if you really can't do it, because of the crowds? Really there are a ton of things to do and see, but you just have to learn the "when" and the "how".
Sometimes mass transit is the only way you are going to get around- yesterday should have been a mass transit day (unfortunately it was Sunday.)
You can't go anywhere from 6 am-9 am and 3 pm-7pm.
If you want to go out to dinner on a Friday, go early- before 6 pm and it doesn't matter when you go on Saturday, prepare to wait!
Never leave your house at the start of Spring break, Summer break, Winter break, etc. If you do decide to go somewhere on those breaks, be prepared for a lot of traffic and frustration or go at like 4 am on Saturday morning.
Try to avoid free and opening day events unless you don't really care if you see just a little bit and don't mind hoards of people.
Just be happy you went to the Easter Egg Roll at the White house. Most people never get to do that. Don't actually expect to be able to roll an egg. You will wait all day long and it will close before you get the chance to roll or do anything else.
Any nice day in DC from the beginning of spring until fall will be packed! One of these days we will realize that and start going on days when it is pouring rain! Of course on those days, you will be shoulder to shoulder with every other person in DC if you try to go see one of the Smithsonians!

Photos to use against your Children!

Caption: That's not how you are suppose to use Mommies razor! Or... Dude, you have got one hairy face! Why don't you go at least shave your nose?

25 Things

At 100 posts, I did a 100 list about our family. I have now past 200 post and thought I would add a little to the list. This was suggested by a friend who was surprised to learn one of my answers to a recent questionnaire that we did for Relief Society.

1. If you could do anything and be certain to succeed what would it be. I put- be a professional dancer. I am what I will call a closet dancer. I love, love to dance, but I don't have the confidence to do it in front of people. And as you know, most of what we call good dancing is moving with confidence! I grew up doing ballet- mostly for gymnastics- but still I enjoyed it. I also did...
2. Belly dancing for about a year and a half. Most of the dancing I do in my bedroom/closet now is belly-type dancing. I had much better abs then. I guess I need to increase the amount of bedroom/closet dancing I am doing!
3. I have very little self-control when it comes to food.
4. I am pretty good at exercising, though- thankfully.
5. Piles of stuff annoy me. But I can hide it for awhile, before I absolutely go nuts and have to put it away.
6. Dusting is my number one most hated chore.
7. I was known as no toes in gymnastics, because I frequently did not point my toes in my moves.
8. The first time I tore the ligaments in my ankle, I was pointing my toe and landed on the top of the foot.
9. Dream vacation: Greek Isles
10. Favorite drink: water, followed by raspberry or strawberry lemonade, followed by root beer.
11. I tend to flit from thing to thing and so don't accomplish much.
12. I still don't know how to apply make-up. My mom didn't wear much and I don't know if she knows much about it. The first time I really wore any was for my wedding and I put it on myself.
13. The only way I have learned how to do anything with my hair is trial and error. My mom has stick straight hair and didn't know what to do with curls after I got out of the ringlet stage. She did know how to make some mean spit ringlets, though.
14. I learned to french braid hair from a book and practiced on my sister.
15. I never wanted to be a nurse growing up- that was way too girly of a profession. I, of course, took the least girly part of nursing in the Emergency Department.
16. My first major was Sports medicine. I had thought about Physical Therapy, but decided I couldn't hurt old people and kids, so I opted for the athletes that could handle it.
17. I have been surprised attack kissed twice in my life. One guy got told off. The other I just ran away from.
18. I almost stopped breathing both times I tried an epidural.
19. Because of this and other excessive reactions to medication, I had my wisdom teeth pulled out with just a local. I was regretting that choice by the end.
20. I can't sing worth a darn, but wish I could. I used to pretend I was the next Shirley Temple.
21. Sometimes I still talk in my head like I am being interviewed by the press.
22. The girl's name I wanted for my daughter since I was little was Anja Marie. Anja (said with a y sound for the j) is Finish for Anna. It was one of my piano teacher's names and I thought it was very pretty. Rob's family ruined it though when they said she would get teased all the time by people saying, "hey can I get Anja?"
23. I loved the name Seth for a boy, but with our last name it sounds like you have a lisp when you say it.
24. Brigham Young believed in 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work and 8 hours of play. I agree completely. I am using up some of those hours of play right now, because I have to work tonight for 8 hours. I guess I better go play with the iron and the washing machine too!
25. If I wasn't so afraid that lasers would give me cancer I would totally go in for the permanent hair removal thing! Changing a body that much permanently can't be good, though.
So there you go, now you know, I am a flighty, tom boy who is cancer phobic, but who would love to be a professional dancer!

Firsts!

Emma's first time camping in winter! Thankfully, I have missed that first. I plan on continuing to miss that one. We sent her with lots of good stuff and everyone said she did well. Her sleeping bag wouldn't zip the whole way, so her back was cold at night, but otherwise she had a good attitude. She will miss girl's camp this year, so this was her time to experience what it's like. Of course at YW camp they will have cabins instead of tents and it will be stinking hot!Emma's First "I can't keep up with you" Growth spurt! The girls had fun displaying all their normal clothing, relaxed clothing and clothing they would never wear at a YW fashion show. Unfortunately, none of these clothes fit Emma just weeks later. She has gone from a size 12 at the beginning of the year, to a 14 at Christmas and now out of the 14's. I wasn't sure what size she should wear next and never really have time to go shopping with her, so I looked around on the internet and decided it should be a 2 or 4 in women's/juniors. I went to the 4's first and for the first time I looked at a pair of size 4 pants and said, "those are huge!" I ended up getting her a size 2 and they are falling off of her. I should have gotten a 0. Zero's are much harder to find, though and I am sure she will continue to grow into these. Her feet are size 7 1/2, already. I had to get her new shoes in the middle of the school year and I think she may grow out of these too fast, also. She is close to the ends.

Emma's first Jog with Mom! Was a little revealing. We decided to go on a short 20 minute run. Soccer starts in a week and a half. In soccer there are two 45 minute halves. Emma was busting a lung at 4 minutes. Winter, growth spurts and inactivity have not been good to her. She "only" walked 8 times during our 20 minute run. She even ran her hand through a thorn bush and got a thorn in it just to give herself a reason to stop. I am not kidding- she told us the truth! We are going again on Thursday. I hope she survives!My First time being potentially impaled by scouting! Most of you know that we really aren't into cubscouts that much, but we did decide to finish the one rank. I don't even know which one. I think it was the wolf or bobcat. Anyway, at the blue and gold that we went to, Sam got to pin the mother's pin on me. I chose for him to do it on the sleeve of my shirt- much less dangerous!

Sleeping discussions with my husband- Definitely not a first! Although they haven't happened since the end of Sapper school. He was trying to find his Sapper pin before he went to sleep last night, so maybe that had something to do with it. After Sapper school, he was always waking me up asking where his pants were, where his gear was, where his gun was, etc. Last night he wanted to know where his velcro was. What? He woke me up by climbing on top of me and pulling all my sheets and blankets off. Then searching for his velcro strap. Apparently, I had one, but his was missing. I told him to look on his watch and that made him mad, because his watch was a strap, not velcro, and it finished with a "fine, don't help me!" I have learned to just go back to sleep after these discussions. He sort of remembers part of it when he wakes up. I just hope I don't wake up dead one day, because I was the enemy!

St. Patrick's Day

For Family Home Evening we ate our St. Patrick's day dessert. Inspired by a 2 Clever blog post, we had grasshopper cookies topped with Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream (a Favorite) and all drizzled with chocolate sauce. Heavenly!