UTAH for SPRING BREAK

We got to go to Utah for Spring Break. I love being home especially in the spring. The trees where full of blossoms and the grass was green. I got to hangout with my favorite people and cook good food and love on my sweet nieces Ruby and Lilly. My father took the boys over to my Grandma and Grandpa Hair's house to see the pirate ship. My uncle's full time job is playing Jack Sparrow at parties and renting out pirate ships in the valley. He is really good and makes good money doing it. If you saw him in full costume doing his impersonation, you would think you invited Johnny Depp. He really is that good. People pay good money to rent these ships he builds. James just cried and couldn't understand why his grandpa wanted him to play in it. He was bit ridiculous the whole time. Weeks building up to the trip he said everyday, "I want to go to grandma's house now." When we got there he cried the whole time and said, "I miss my dad. I want to go home." I wanted to squish him like a peach. Madison helped grandpa plant some trees in the yard. We got to spend a lot of time with our favorite people Chase, Tamara and Miss Lily.

HIKING WITH MY LITTLE ONES

 I took the little ones for a hike over the weekend before Spring Break. I was so impressed with my little Ashton Max. He kept up the whole way and never complained or asked to be carried. It was not a short hike. I would say it was over two miles, up hill. He loved every minute of it. I took the boys later without the girls and Ashton kept wandering off the beaten path, which was difficult and I realized he does better when the girls are with us because he wants to keep up with his big sisters.

MADISON JENNIFER BALLERINA

 I am kind of in love with this little ballerina. She loves her dance class and I am not sure why it took me so long to enroll her. She actually closes her eyes at dance when she really gets into it and I think it is so sweet. Every Tuesday it is just her and I at dance in Grand Junction and it is nice to be with just Madison. I know it has helped her confidence and given her something to be passionate about. I know she has a lot of crazy, purely-evil things that go on at school, most of which I would be naive to if I didn't have certain friends. She's just very confident to just go off and play by herself and not get involved with everything that is going on. She begs to listen to the scriptures every night as she goes to sleep. I know she feels the fortifying power of the Book of Mormon in her life and I know like me she doesn't feel whole if she doesn't drink the living waters of the scriptures every day. I love that about her. She is so good. She is so sweet, and so willing to help out, and is always obedient. I don't know what I would do with her. She is certainly in the calm in most of my storms.

MY BIRTHDAY

 The best part of my birthday was waking up to the house decorated and this sweet note from Sierra. It warmed my heart like nothing else could of. It was definitely the best birthday present I have every received. Along with the note, there was a beautiful necklace she made with beads in the microwave. Nate bought me a Bernina. I can't tell you how happy this gift has made me. It was like receiving a piece of me back again, that I didn't really fully realize was missing. I have been sewing everything and loving every minute of it. 

SUBMARINE

He watched an episode of Justin Time. (I love this kid appropriate show. I included a clip below.) He saw Justin with a remote control submarine. James wanted one really bad. He wanted one for his birthday. I told him no. This little boy gets most of things he wants. He is far more spoiled than Sierra or Madison were at his age. I bought him a cheap remote control bulldozer from Walmart for his birthday. He was happy but he really wanted a submarine. He talked about it all time. He begged to watch advertisements, for remote control submarines, on YouTube. He had been saving quarters for doing his chores. I told him that if he saved up enough I would let him buy his submarine. 

He asked every day if he could do a chore and get a quarter. He asked every day if he could count his quarters. He cried every time I told him he didn't yet have enough money. I was determined he was going to save up every last penny to purchase it on his own. (Frankly, James has enough remote controls and toys I don't need anymore in my house.) I am the Justice side of our marriage with our children. Nate kept slipping him quarters behind my back. He is the Mercy side of our marriage. The day finally arrived, he saved the money for his submarine. 

I went into purchase it and the toy wasn't a lot, but the shipping was a lot. This wasn't an amazon purchase people. The tax added up. I told him, "Well, I guess we need to keep saving, because we have to pay the mail guy to bring it to us." He was sad, but okay. Nate overheard our conversation and said, "Lisa, pay the shipping!" I said, "I am trying to teach a principle of hard work." He said, "I think he has worked hard enough." His dad is a little more tenderhearted than I. We bought it. He made me check the mailbox everyday until it came. 

When it arrived, he squealed and was so elated. Then he broke down trying to get it out of the box. I told him to wait till his dad got home and he could help him figure out how to work it, but that wasn't going to happen. I think yesterday I spent the whole day navigating melt downs. Melt downs over it not charging fast enough. Melt downs over draining the bathtub before he was done playing. Melt downs over the propeller coming off because he was trying to work it out of the water. Melt downs because dad wasn't coming home fast enough. 

Dad came home last night and let him ride his submarine in the hot tub. This morning first thing he wanted to ride it around the hot tub again. He drove it until the battery died and dad said he had to take it inside to charge. He was fine until his dad left for work. Then he melted down again. He wanted to ride it in the tub but it hadn't fully charged yet. The moral of this story is even if your children want to really bad, don't let them buy toys that aren't age appropriate.   

He does love it and he did work hard. He takes care of all his remote control things. He has them lined up under his bed and he is very careful with them. The remote control helicopter I bought him for Christmas is still intact and he still plays with it almost daily, which is surprising because even though it is made for kids, it isn't solid. I have had to glue the propeller a few times but overall he has been really responsible with it. He really cares about his things. He takes really good care of his stuff. Still.....the melt downs are a little much.

ILLUSTRATOR COURSE

 I have received a catalog every year from the community college offering a variety of classes I have really wanted to take. Illustrator has been on my radar for a long time. My new years resolution was to stop saying I am going to do things and do them. This was one of the big steps I took. I signed up. It is only two weeks I figured my family could handle it. I told Sierra if she would watch the kids I would buy her a hammock, but she had to get the boys to sleep before I cam home. She actually gave the boys feet massages and read to them and got them to bed before I came home. I was so proud of her. She has been so great. I am glad she has provided me the space to do something I have wanted to do for a while. The picture above is my first class and the below picture is my second class. Yeah, for trying new things. 

CLEAN BOY's