Joseph and Melodie had a concert tonight at Thanksgiving Point. Yay! I got to go to the Tulip Festival!
We had such a late winter and it's been such a cool spring that all the tulips were still in full bloom and looking gorgeous
Totally filled my cup.
They performed with Lexi Walker, who is such an amazing and passionate singer, wow. And to walk around the gardens before the show was just heaven.
The "Light of the World" garden was still under construction last time we had memberships, so I hadn't seen the finished product. Again, just amazing.
Thanksgiving Point is a gift to Utah, it fills me with thankgiving!! So Corey and I listened to the first half of the program, and then we got a few pictures ~
Us, then us with a bit more of the stage
...and then Corey headed home - we didn't quite trust to leave our sitters or babies alone for as long as the concert was going to last.
I walked Corey to the car so I could get Joseph's water gun, which had been misplaced by me earlier in the day. I walked around the garden more and took more pictures.
The sun was starting to go down.
And it was getting cooler.
And I took a few more pictures and said "you are so pretty" to a few more flowers.
None of these were with my good camera this time, just with my phone.
But I figured since I haven't done anything with my pictures from years past (2016 before and then after the hailstorm), there isn't a need for me to take a hundred pictures again. Just a few...
...cause it's just beautiful. I told Corey that we might need to retire close to Thanksgiving Point someday so that I can come and go on my morning walks around the gardens. Heaven on Earth!!
Soon it was getting too dark for photos...
So I went to the bathroom and then back to the concert.
The songs Pure Imagination and Tiny Voice touched me the most. I want to imagine and dream and follow my heart. I want to make a difference in the world, even if my voice is small.
Beautiful concert, beautiful music, beautiful smells, beautiful flowers. Heaven. After it was over, I had a funny plan to scare the bejeezus outta Joseph. He was so paranoid about his assassin being at the concert to get him it was funny. It was even more funny cause earlier in the day he had been so depressed and disheartened that there had been no attempts on him and no one chasing and it was so boring!
He was all ready to fight and to have to defend himself and... nothing.
Funny video of him being depressed~
So, to give him a good scare, after the concert, as musicians were packing up their instruments... I just walked up onto the stage and got right behind him. Locked on target....
My first shot got his jacket, then I shot again and got his neck. He looked to the side and a little behind him and I could see that he had a look of "you gotta be freakin' kidding me..." on his face, until he saw it was me, and then I was laughing so hard.
It was so funny. I got him good. He kept that gun close to him the rest of the night... we had to walk like half a mile to the car!! Will he make it!?!?
He felt like James Bond wearing his tux, lol. Bass clarinet in one hand, $3 Shopko watergun in the other... He's armed and ready!
I kept quoting the Ten Commandments scene in my head where Seti is giving advice to Ramses after Moses was presented in chains for treason: "Harden yourself against subordinates. Have no friend. Trust no woman..." lol. Joseph said his heart was still racing from my attempt on him, he's on major defense now!
Another funny thing - on the way home, Joseph texted the person that is his next target... cause he knew that his target hadn't assassinated their person and that they were going to be eliminated at midnight anyway, and Joseph thought it would be fun to have three kills, so his text went like this:
"You don't want like a cool death?" So funny.
So great date night tonight. We didn't go out last night because Corey was at youth conference up at Aspen Grove with the young men from our ward. And I was at Joseph and Ethan's Madrigals and Jazz Band Concert at Skyline ~ "Mads in the Moonlight". A few pictures from that -
Joseph was doing double duty going back and forth between the jazz band and the Madrigals
It was a 40's theme. Some of the Madrigal's songs - Chatanooga Choo Choo, Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree, I Gotta Gal in Kalamazoo. I thought the funnest Jazz song was Sing Sing Sing, really fun. Ethan, Joseph, you're talented kids, just like your father.
Today Sophi had her kindergarten program "American Symbols On Parade". She was a little lady liberty and did such a good job.
Once the program started, I got a kick out of how all the phones went up to record, including mine, what a funny culture we live in. Like Jim Gaffigan said "I have more pictures of my kids than my dad ever saw me..."
Sophi singing and shimmying her little hips.
I didn't see all of the program, cause I was watching my other three little people who were running wild. Thankfully they found the special needs room early on, which kept them quite entertained for the duration of the program, hallelujah.
They took turns pulling each other on the wagon.
Daniel was very much in his element in the little ball pit.
I think it's like a warm bubble bath with candles, but the toddler version of it.
Ethan just saw this picture and thought it was a bowl of cereal, and it threw him off when he saw Daniel chillin' in it.
It worked out great, cause this special needs room was right by a long dead end hallway, and the only way to get out was back where I was standing watching the program. So that was nice to know that they couldn't escape and I could watch some of the show. A picture with Dad after the performance.
Pose for a few more pictures for me, Sophi! You're super cute.
Gosh, she's getting big. My little Sophi, all grown up and representing America.
Corey, distracting Daniel from his tranquil zone by dropping balls on his belly. Time to get up and go home buddy.
Oh! But I forgot! First root beer floats in the classroom, fun!
Daniel and Owen eating their scoop in the doorway...
Then at the Lego table...
As we headed to the car, the kids really wanted to go to the playground, but we can't go on it during school hours. The school students were out at recess and the sounds were just calling to my little ones. They wanted to go play at a park. So we did, and what a fun surprise, there was a pony ride!
Miss Gayle and her pony Coco. Owen wouldn't get on the buggy cause he's a little timid kid. But nothin' scares Daniel (not even a big scary gorilla)
Sophi kept playing Lady liberty after we got home, but she changed into a green dress, to properly represent the copper coloring.
Sophi on her own Ellis Island... on our dead end street.
Lily had made Sophi a tablet with the JULY IV MDCCLXXVI inscription on it. Now she's all set.
Speaking of Liberty, there is a beautiful video on Operation Underground Railroad's facebook page - a song by Madeline Page and Gentri. It made me think it was appropriate that I wore my OUR t-shirt today. #FreedomForAll
Back in January, just in the nick of time before his birthday, Joseph finished all the requirements to achieve the Boy Scout rank of Eagle. Tonight was the Court of Honor where he received his award. They had a real eagle there, which was super cool. Wesley, one of the few kids who came to honor Joseph, said it was his first time seeing a real eagle.
Wes was inspired and wants to get more involved with scouting.
Corey and I aren't that into scouting. A few years ago, we told Joseph that if he wanted to get his eagle, he was going to have to own it, as we already have our hands full. When he got it award, I wasn't sure if I really deserved/earned a pin for myself, but I guess we probably helped him out a little bit. Wes took this photo for us. (I might have to get a better one from Corey's parents who had come.
Over in the Eagles nest, Joseph stood to tell what he did for his eagle project.
Here are two pictures from back in November -
For his project, Joseph arranged for several weeks of classes to help refugees from Burma learn English using movies - using Corey's software.
You did a good job Joseph.
Joseph appropriately gave his grandparents the Mentor pin that was part of his reward.
Way to set a goal for yourself and get it, Joseph, you're going to be a great missionary. And good luck with Senior Assassin!
(He is safe on church property, and didn't want to have goggle marks on his forhead for the court of honor, so he wore floaties for 20 minutes before he came here, and had his protection ready as he headed home. Fun game, he's really into it. Oh, and you can also tell by that photo above that he borrowed his friend's scout uniform for the court of honor. Sorry buddy, we'll get you a descent scout shirt if you want one, can we wait till maybe after your mission?)
Daniel wanted to go to school this morning. So his sisters gave him a back pack, and he headed out. No pants, just a back pack. That's all you need.
Sorry little guy, you gotta stay here with me. Look at all the fun things we get to do at home! Just look at this pile of dishes in the kitchen sink, yay! Fun!
It was a typical busy Wednesday - Ethan stayed at Corey's parents house to do homework, Joseph, Mel, and Wes were at band - Joseph and Mel had a double rehearsal for their concert on Saturday, so they weren't done until 8:30 pm. Poor Wes had to wait at the Soundhouse for 2 and a half extra hours. But we figured it doesn't make a lot of sense for us to spend 2 hours in the car to save him 2 hours. So he waited. Our of the big kids, it was just Hyrum at home. Hyrum went to get Daniel out of this crib after he had slept for a bit too long for his nap, not that I'm complaining! Still happy, he had the cutest grin on his face and gave Hyrum a neck hug.
Then Corey thought we might as well head up to Snowbird. He has a friend who was staying up there this week but who wasn't going to be in the room tonight. Hey, might as well. We were thinking we'd just go up to go swimming, so, the little girls grabbed their swimsuits and up we went. Natalie walking in the snow in her swimming suit and her swim shoes.
They did this on Monday night when we came up too.
I'm telling you kids, it's okay to wear clothes over your suits! There's snow up here, protect yourselves! We made it into the lobby and were soon it the warm spa.
It started snowing a little on our drive up, and we thought maybe we should turn back. I checked the forecast and it said it would be snowing for most of the night. It's still snowing now, so there's a good chance we're gonna spend the night...
<< UPDATE the next morning - 3 May 2018 >>
So, we did spend the night and drove down this morning. Corey took more pictures of our fun at Snowbird last night. It was really fun to be outside in the warm pool and see the snow covered mountains and trees all around us. I put away the phone and worked on being present. When we went to bed it was cute to lay by Natalie in the dark and then hear her say "OH! I didn't say my prayers!" and then she said a sweet little prayer, I can't remember what she said but her voice is just so cute, I loved it. In the morning we warmed up the car and pulled the kids out of bed and put them straight in the car. They were a little annoyed that we got them up so early
...and bummed that they were home in time to go to school! We got back in time that I was able to take a morning walk - I'm so in love with the flowering trees down the street! The camera on my phone did not do their beauty justice...
I walked home to get my good camera to go take more pictures -
They are just heavenly!!
Spring time is fun cause you get to experience snowy winter and summer colors at the same time.
Today is Day 1 of Senior Assassin - a fun non-school sponsored game for the Senior class. Joseph's been pretty excited about playing, and he's in it to win it. Everyone who wanted to play had to put in $5 and the winner gets the whole pot, so Joseph says that this is his "job" right now. Since he is leaving next month (ahhh!) and doesn't have a lot of hope for being hired for such a short period of time, he's thinking that this is how he's gonna help pay for his mission. He's kept his goggles on all day and will be keeping them on all week until Friday, which is "purge day" (scary!) where there is nothing you can do to protect yourself. Today he got his target, and then he also got his target's target!! Oh yeah, two kills in one day, on the first day even. He said they were both really lucky, but it's good, cause now people think he's a threat, ha. He said for both of them, he just went to their houses "not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do" lol! (1 Nephi 4:6) Joseph added "....and Nephi was going to kill someone too, so..." He wasn't really planning on anything happening, so he feels like he was led by the Spirit, just like Nephi. Yep, Joseph's our little Nephi. This assassin's got skills. (...he hopes! The pot might be like $700 bucks!)
Feeling confident as he gives his gun a twirl on his finger.
Today was a great Tuesday (aka "To-Dos"-day) for me. First there was the Take Back Your Morning celebration on facebook. I really enjoyed the 10 day challenge! The videos are all still up, and I'm hoping they stay up, I'm willing to go through them again if anybody wants to do it, I'll do it again with you. After that we had an EJC zoom call that I really enjoyed. As it ended, we were all challenged to a 15 minute knockout - go put in 15 minutes to knock out some target in your home and report back to the EJC. I set my timer, and 15 minutes came and went along with a lot of interruptions... It ended up taking me 90 minutes, but I stayed on target and I got 'er done - Bedroom clean! Even the closet, and even vacuumed! And the clutter magnets on top of all the dressers and night stands! It feels so good to get things done. If you zoom in there you'll see Daniel cheering for me cause I'm number 1!!
Such a cute little bugger. Next goal - keep it clean all week. I got this!
