March 2015

I am not going to lie, by the time March comes around, I am SO TIRED of the cold and the gray! Isn't that Spring fever? Dublin is especially gray in the winter and spring. However, the promise of spring around the corner gives one reason to hope. Here is what we've been up to.

Eve had her 5th grade musical program which was about soccer. She was selected to perform one of the solos. It was more of a rap. She did a great job. It was a cute program.



Sheri got torticollis for about 3 days and was very uncomfortable! She had a very limited range of motion.



Christian was retested for all his allergies. He is still allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, and wheat (although he tolerates wheat in his diet fine). However, a new allergy surfaced . . . .pork. I am not sure what to think of that one. He didn't seem to like it when he tried it previously. Maybe that is why. The testing part is very uncomfortable for him. He eats pretty well, but tends to get sick of things after a while. He eats a lot of fruit and soy butter sandwiches with honey.



One very cool thing about Dublin, OH is their annual St. Patricks Day Parade! We attended with the Whitneys.



Finally spring started to emerge just in time for the kids' spring break. Matt got our family some bunnies.



He used spring break to build a fenced area for a garden (to keep deer out) with a rabbit run and second fence within. I worked on refinishing a kitchen table we received (more on that to come). Guess what we spent his birthday doing? Roto-tilling our new garden space. You can also see the frames for the squares he started for my square foot gardens. What a hard working, wonderful husband I have! I love him so much!



We enjoyed a nice salmon dinner with baked potatoes and asparagus. We finished with German chocolate cake.


We are definitely grateful for spring arriving and can't wait for more warm days to come. We have lots of garden plans! Happy end of March!

January/February 2015

January and February are typically months of less noteworthy daily activities, although great for getting back into good routines. This will be a fairly short update. Here are some fun pics and things that we did.

The boys enjoying each other. Sterling is very good at playing with Christian. They can be very loving as well.



We were invited to go roller skating with a bunch of families in the ward, including the Whitneys and the Bons.



In February, Matt was unclogging our bathroom drain and it broke because it was worn out. We decided that it was time to replace the entire vanity since this project was on our "to do" list anyway. While he was at it, he installed a new toilet. I took the opportunity to paint the bathroom (it was a pea greenish color) and picked out a new shower curtain. We already had construction in the kitchen, what's one more project to complicate things? It really wasn't that bad actually. I am glad that we knocked it out. One more project done. Here is a picture of the previous vanity, mid- project, the new curtain, and the final result.



Now I just want to change the ribbon on the curtains to match, and put some shelves over the toilet with decorations such as plants. I gave up on the goal of decorating one room a month and have decided to try to complete one project each month. :)

Valentine's Day I was able to make muffins and we also had purple smoothies.



Here is Eve in a new Sunday outfit.



Also in February, I took my Wolf Scouts and kids to a fire history museum. It was in an old firehouse where there used to be stables for the horses. The boys had a great time and learned so much about fire safety. The hands on experience really made it personal for them. They got to practice leaving a bedroom as if the house were on fire and got to discuss various scenarios. One thing I learned, is that most of the time people die from breathing in the smoke which makes it difficult for your mind to process what you need to do. Also, you should not try to go through smoke, but directly to the nearest exit (ex- a window).

This was a very cool historic museum!



The kids had a great time dressing up as firefighters and pretending to respond to the call for help.



And . . .that's it folks, for this post.

December 2014

December is always busy. Here are the highlights.

I was called as a Wolf den leader in the Cub Scouts program in November, I believe. This has been very helpful in orienting me to everything in the program. It has also been nice to participate with Sterling each Tuesday night for den meetings and pack meetings.
In December we held the annual Pinewood Derby. I didn't help design and build the car (it was Matt and Matt Owen that helped), but I did help a bit with the painting. I think Sterling and all the boys had a fun time. I think Matt also learned a lot about how to add weight to the cars. I am sure that he and Sterling will be masters at it before Ster's time is finished in Cub Scouts. I have about 4 boys in my den. Sterling, Jeremy, Jack, and Elijah.



Christian continues to learn more each day. In this picture you can see Christian getting ready to say family prayer.



This is his weekly tradition each time we go to the grocery store. It is worth the $0.50. He loves it every time.


In December I also joined a gym (Lifetime Fitness). This was such a blessing to me. It was just a 5 minute drive away and helped me to feel more balanced in my life. It is so easy to feel cooped up during the winter. It was also a way to feel like I was progressing when there wasn't a lot of progress in other areas of my life. It also helped to counter balance all the holiday food. :) The gym hasn't always been the best fit in my life, but right now it seems to be. Sorry, no pic.

We were happy to have fun events to help us enjoy the season. We got to attend a ward dinner and nativity. Eve was asked to be Mary, Sterling a shepherd, and Sheri was an angel. There was just narration, but it was nice to feel included.

We also got to attend a Christmas party at Matt's work. Here we were able to meet some of his co-workers. Amber, the quality manager did a great job of planning it. There were Christmas dough ornaments and pet treats to make. There were lots of snacks, and even a visit from Santa. The kids came home with lots of presents and Christmas cheer.


On the 11th, Sterling had his 3rd grade musical presentation. He got to dress up as a caroler. He did a great job! I always enjoy watching the kids perform.


About mid month I was able to take the older 3 kids to the Nutcracker. They all enjoyed it and dreamed of what they'd like to be someday when they get to perform in it. They also love the tradition of picking out an ornament.



We were happy to have a special visit from my brother in law Scott. We all have lots of fun with Scott. He was able to visit us in conjunction with some work he was attending to in Columbus. The first evening he was here we had dinner and a rousing game of Risk. It is a special treat to have a chunk of time to play this game, especially with Scott. I can't remember who won. :) It was fun to show Scott around the house and the yard the following day. The kids took him on an adventure walk through the woods. Then we decided to try out the "famous" Columbus Chili at Skyline Chili. If I remember correctly, it doesn't have beans and they serve it over spaghetti noodles. It also had some cinnamon I think. Scott headed to the airport soon thereafter. What a treat to spend time with Scott! We hope he will come often!



On December 23rd the kids talked me into getting a second gerbil so that the one we had wouldn't be lonely. We named this one Tinsel. So much for company, the two gerbils attacked each other every time they were together. In my efforts to keep them from hurting each other, my finger got a good bite. Let's just say, they are in separate cages and I have washed my hands of the situation. Another reason that I do not enjoy pets!



On Christmas Eve we were invited to have dinner and do a nativity with 2 families in our ward. The Roulstones hosted. Again, this was so nice since we didn't have a functioning kitchen and had no family around. I especially enjoyed the talent share at the end. Sterling played a Christmas piece, Eve played her recorder and Sheri sang. Everyone had already heard the Christmas pieces that I had played for the ward Christmas Sacrament meeting and so they asked me to play a hymn that everyone could sing to. (As a side note, I practiced a ton for the church program. It was enjoyable and stressful, but very good for me.) During the talent share there was even a duet of Sleigh Ride which brought back many memories of when I've played it at home. I was also able to cook our traditional pastry wreath during the celebration.

As a side note, we also had a few families bring us cookies during the season. . . a real treat when you don't have an oven!

Christmas morning was great!


The month ended with a New Year's Eve party at the Bons' home. Their son, Jeremy and Sterling have become great friends. They had games, snacks, dancing, hat making, and an official count down. The Whitneys were also there. Our girls have really hit it off with their girls. Both of these mothers' names are Rebecca. Isn't that funny that the three of us have become friends, all sharing the same name?
I wish I had gotten a clear photo of the Bons family. They are really a stellar and sweet family.


Well, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We are certainly grateful for all that we are blessed with!