I Have Been Tagged

10 years ago ... It was 1998. I was dating Brandon, had no kids (of course), and was working full-time as a public accountant for a national accounting firm. I was living in Salt Lake City with three roommates in a cute duplex. A lot has happened in ten years!

5 Things on my to do list today.
1. Buy Brandon's birthday present
2. Start making the decorations for our Relief Society birthday party on Saturday
3. Go grocery-shopping
4. Clean, cook, and pick up Lauren from school
5. Read my book (Their Eyes Were Watching God)

Things I would do if I became a billionaire. I would buy a beautiful home and have it professionally decorated. I would love to travel the world and stay at expensive hotels. Take care of my extended family. AND buy a cute store with pretty things.

5 of my Secret Bad Habits.
1. I drink too much diet coke.
2. I don't exercise like I should.
3. I love to eat anything sweet and creamy.
4. I hate cleaning bathrooms
5. I don't like to go visiting teaching (sorry!)

5 Places I have lived.
1. Rexburg, ID is where I grew up and attended Ricks College.
2. Logan, UT while I attended Utah State University
3. Salt Lake City (With roommates and with Brandon) while I worked and where Brandon went to Med school
4. Sacramento, CA for Brandon's residency
5. Boston, MA for Brandon's fellowship. This summer we will be moving to Highland, UT… for good I hope.

5 jobs I have had.
1. Public accountant in Audit at Ernst & Young in SLC.
2. Accountant at Utah State University in Logan, UT
3. Secretary at Rudd & Company in Rexburg, ID
4. Sales person at Bowen Music in Rexburg, ID
5. Okay, maybe this doesn't count (I think it's funny) but I worked for two weeks in a grocery store bakery. Yuk.

5 things most people don't know about me.
1. I have been to France twice, but would like to go many more times
2. I was the President of an accounting fraternity in college (I know, very nerdy… but, hey, it got me a good job after graduation)
3. I took piano lessons from first grade through high school and an extra class in college
4. I love Florence's and Sees chocolates
5. I make some yummy rice pudding

Now I tag: Alison Woods, Amber Lewis, Melissa McDonald, Erin Hakes, Greta Griffeths

Easter Sunday

Our Easter Sunday was filled with candy, Easter eggs, food, and friends (and to be honest, a little stress on my part and some grouchiness on Elle's part due to the amount of candy she ate)!

The girls woke up Sunday morning to find that the Easter bunny had brought them an Easter basket with Webkinz pets, a game, and some eggs full of candy.

We all got ready for Church, and the girls looked so cute in their new Easter dresses.

After church, our ward had an Easter egg hunt at a nearby park. While Brandon and the girls were there, I was able to finish cooking. We ended the day by getting together with several families to share a delicious Easter dinner.

A Question

What do wheat thin crackers and a doll have to do with my rain boots?

I stepped into my rainboots on Tuesday and felt something crunchy under my foot......

I stepped into my rainboots on Thursday and stepped on the doll.  

Oh Elle, what am I going to do with you?

By the way, today while we were at Target, we lost Elle.  She was hiding under a clothes rack.

We Love Having Visitors!

My sister Julie came and visited us for a few days. She flew from Dallas where it was sunny and 90 degrees outside... to Boston, a cold and windy city of about 35 degrees. Ouch! Spring where are you? We were able to do some sight-seeing, but the best part was having company and visiting with family!

We took the "T" into the city on Thursday to shop and visit Faneuil Hall. We were there as the shops opened and as the food counters displayed their fantastic looking food. Our mouths were watering in expectation of what we were to eat that day for lunch. Would it be a bowl of New England Clam Chowdah (You have to say it with the New England accent)? A lobster roll? Or any of the delicious looking ethnic foods? We decided to shop for awhile and then come back for lunch a little later.

A little later... We decided on splitting a plate of Teriyaki chicken and a shrimp roll. Sadly our food didn't taste as good as it looked. The shrimp roll was so nasty. Sorry Julie.

Friday we took the day to shop at a beautiful mall in Natick, Mass. We found a few good deals and had a good time. That evening, Julie and I visited the Museum of Fine Arts. This is one of my favorite places in Boston. It was even better that night, because I was able to leave the little-ones at home. :) Here are a few of my favorites:

Saturday Brandon, the girls, Julie, and I made our way up to the North Shore and stopped at Marblehead and Salem Mass. Marblehead has many homes and buildings that predate the Revolutionary War. If the weather had not been so cold, I would have liked to walk the streets and visit the shops. We stopped here for lunch and had some delicious clam chowdah.

Four miles north of Marblehead is Salem, home to the Salem witch trials in 1692. We visited the "House of Seven Gables," and the Salem Witch Museum. It was a dreary day for this spooky town.

(Julie and I are about the same height... regardless of how this pic turned out)

On Sunday we made our way up to visit Harvard University and to stop at the Boston Temple.  Here are some pictures while the weather was warm last summer.

Thanks Julie for coming to visit. We loved it! I hope you are now recovering in your backyard pool.

Learning to Read

Ever since Lauren was a toddler, I have loved reading to her.   We would go the library almost every week to check out new books.  We have also been able to collect a nice library of books of our own.  There is something so wonderful about having a new book.... especially a brand new book.  

At night, the girls (and now Elle is included in our reading time, of course)  are able to pick out books for me to read to them before bedtime.  It is a great time to quiet down and get to spend time with them without other interruptions.  I love the questions they ask while I'm reading that tells me they are REALLY listening to the story.  

Lauren is now in Kindergarten and has been learning to read on her own this year.  It has been so fun watching her begin to understand "How" to read.  She has really done so well.  It is so exciting to me as her mother!

A few months ago, Lauren selected this Dick and Jane book out from our public library.  She had just started to sound out words and recognize some "sight" words being taught at school.  She had so much fun (even though I thought the idea of having a "Dick and Jane" book old-fashioned and kind of boring).  A few weeks later she was so sad when we had to return the book.... because she loved the idea that she could read!  A few days ago, we were at the library once again, and Lauren wanted to check out this book.  This time, she has been able to read everything and understands what she is reading.  I realize this is a very "Easy Reader," but learning to read and ENJOYING to read is so important.  This is her first step.

"Go Lauren Go! Said Mother."  

Winter Break

I have had a really hard time thinking of something fun to post about! We are in the middle of the winter blues. Outside has been brown and cold... and now it is WHITE and cold. We just need some warm spring-like weather to boost our spirits! I also have been really bad about taking pictures, so it's not too fun to blog without fun pictures.

However, Lauren has had the week off from school for Winter Break. So we have done a few things as a family. I was also responsible for our ward's Enrichment activity on 72-hour kits Thursday night. That meant Monday was filled with shopping for forty 72-hour kit supplies. The girls didn't find that too fun, but we did eat at McDonald's for lunch.... so I count that as an activity for them! Brandon had Monday off as well, and he was a huge help on our shopping trip. Our best find was at REI. We found $10 Maglite flashlights for $3 on clearance.

Tuesday we went to the zoo with Tanner and Ally. Lauren and Elle really have a fun time with them. Lauren also played at their house that afternoon while Elle had a long nap. I had a few minutes of quiet time. Yeah!

Wednesday included getting Lauren's hair cut about three inches at Snip-its. Snip-its is a kid-friendly place for hair cuts. They are a little pricey, but supposed to be fun. Lauren likes the idea of getting her hair trimmed. Luckily she isn't trimming it herself.... this is something I'm sure Elle will do at some future time. After the haircut, we did a little shopping. The girls ended up with a few new things to wear.

Thursday was the much-anticipated day to go to Chuck E. Cheeses. I really don't like this place (I think it's the combination of paying for tokens, greasy fingers, greasy pizza, and winning a cheap prize in the end), but the girls LOVE it. Lauren has been asking to go since we passed it last fall. I promised her we would go sometime... and then when I found out about her winter break, I promised her we would go then. So, Thursday was the day. Luckily Tanner and Ally joined us for some fun games and mediocre pizza.

Yesterday was Friday and Brandon decided to take the morning off. We drove over to the Harvard area to pick-up the MAC Office software for our new computer. I am always envious of students in Boston, because I would love to be in their place... learning at such great institutions. For lunch we found the "Garage." It is a multi-level building of restaurants that was converted from an actual parking garage. We ate at Crazy Dough's Pizza and had some gourmet pizza of Potato Bacon Cheddar. It was yummy! It also snowed like crazy, and we ended up with about eight inches of fresh snow.

Overall, after typing this up, I think I need to go on a diet! We ate fast-food style like we were on vacation.... but since Lauren was on vacation, maybe it was okay?

The Little Gym

Today was Elle's last day of gym class for the fall session. We have been going to The Little Gym one day a week for the last four months. Elle absolutely loves going each week. Her instructor was great and let the kids explore as much as possible. It was also a parent participation class, and so I was able to be with Elle in her class. 

A few of Elle's favorite things about the class were: the parachute, jumping on the blowup toy, playing with the balls (specifically kicking the balls), popping bubbles, and getting stamps on her hands, feet, and stomach at the end of each class. She also liked jumping and hanging from the bars, doing somersaults, and walking on the balance beam. It was the highlight of her week, and I was happy to be able to have fun with her.

Boston Ballet

A group from the Boston Ballet came to Lauren's school to perform for the students the story of Little Red Riding Hood.  Wow!  I really wish that I could have been there!  This is definitely an advantage of living in a big city.... the kids are exposed to so many things (so far, more good things than bad).  But this would never have happened in, lets say, Rexburg for example.  Although, when I was little, any performing group was exciting and fun to see!

(Image from danzaballet.com)

Nor'easter Weather

Monday was a snow day for Lauren... so we spent the day in the snow! The schools were closed due to the large amount of snow expected in Boston. It was a beautiful storm! Luckily I didn't have to drive anywhere that day.

The girls and I spent the afternoon playing in the snow and making a snowman. Our good friends gave us a fun snowman kit for Christmas, which we put to use.
The resulting snow......

Curlers

Saturday night after baths and before bedtime: