Kindergarten Valentines

The Valentine exchange was always one of the most exciting days of elementary school. You had to be careful about which conversation hearts you put in who's envelope, though.

I told Olivia some ideas of things we could make for her teacher, but then she saw the "prettiest bag of candy in the whole store" (all pink, and even tied with a pink bow), and nothing else would do.

For their Valentine's Day celebration, Olivia's class had a "meal with manners." They prepared that week by making their own placemats and deciding on a menu together (pizza, mini corndogs, green beans, French fries, strawberries, noodles). They also decorated bags for their Valentine exchange.

"Why doesn't she feel heavier if she turned one today?" Katelyn's smile is probably about the conversation heart/choking hazard in her mouth that her sister was kind enough to share.

More on Kate's birthday to come . . . and our trip to AZ, too!

My Baby Turned 1 Today!

25 Random Things

Catching up on some tags. I got this tag from facebook, so maybe I'll put it on there, too, when I have a minute to figure out how!

1. I have a nutritional science degree, with a chemistry minor (but don’t ask me about either subject because I probably won’t remember the answer).
2. I’ve run the Moab half-marathon twice
3. I love to snowboard, but my board has been neglected the last few years, and I’m probably way wimpier on it than I used to be.
4. The only bone I’ve ever broken is my tailbone. That hurt.
5. Have always loved sports - was on soccer team, swim team, and cross-country in high school, also played lots of softball and volleyball.
6. Bad at making decisions - example: even like at Cold Stone creamery, I spend a while trying to come up with a great new concoction, and then usually wish I'd ordered whatever John got.
7. Once I put gas in my car, then drove off with the pump still in my car. They had to shut off the gas spraying everywhere, I had to pay for a new hose/pump. I was pretty proud of myself.
8. I also once drove the car through our garage door when I was like 17.
9. I love hiking, camping, outdoors.
10. I won the scholastic achievement award in the Junior Miss Pageant my senior year.
11. I once had a 4.6 GPA. (Not sure why I’m admitting that - I guess only because I don’t always feel too smart anymore).
12. I used to be mistaken for Hispanic all the time (AZ sun, swim team – I had a good tan).
13. Now, instead of a tan, pregnancies have left dark spots on my face (pregnancy melasma or something like that).
14. I had about 18 different jobs before taking on the greatest job of being a mom.
15. Natural childbirth – I’ve done it twice! (Not really by choice).
16. I was induced with the 3rd because the doctor wanted to allay some of my fears of childbirth left over from the first two deliveries . . . or maybe because it fit into her schedule better, not sure.
17. I love ice cream, chocolate, about any baked treats.
18. When I’m breastfeeding I can eat and eat, and still lose all my pregnancy weight plus more. So I eat lots of the above, using the excuse that I must need the calories. (Except that the effect isn’t working quite as easily the third time around)!
19. I went out with most of John roommates before going out with him (and I guess a little after some of our first dates, too).
20. I have lots of pink in my closet and lots of red in my house.
21. Sometimes I start to say something and can’t finish because I’m laughing too hard at my own joke.
22. I was called “Lar Lar” through most of college.
23. I’ve swam in muddy waterholes on multiple occasions.
24. I know it’s past my bedtime when I start laughing during a prayer. If I stay up too late, John has to be the one to pray when we pray together. Horrible, I know!
25. I like projects, but if I have lots going on (which is pretty much all the time these days) I know I can’t start a book or sewing project, because my housework slides until I finish, and then have to play catch-up. Never enough time to fit it all in!
26. I'm flying by myself with 3 kids next week, and I'm not even scared. Too much. I've taken them all to church w/out husband plenty of times (call days, not inactive days), lots of nights on my own, etc. so I’ve had practice. How bad could it be? I guess I’ll let you know.

I tag anyone who wants to do this!