Dear Family and Friends,

While my mom was here, she said that I should just give Robyn a dutch boy type hair cut as she obviously wanted short hair. I had flashbacks to my own short hair as a kindergartner and stuck to the idea of Robyn growing her hair out. But Robyn must have listened as this week she did her own haircut job again! She did her right side and then I did her left. Good thing she is cute enough to carry it off! It actually looks cute although very boyish I think when she lets me do it but after her numerous costume/clothing changes during the day by the evening her thin short hair is plastered to her scalp with static electricity and she looks bald. But as you can see she loves it!





This week was valentine mania. We made 80 heart cookies for Allison's class. And for family home evening's activity the kids worked hard making their valentines. Robyn just had fun folding and stickering a box of princess valentines that she would give to anyone she saw during the week.


This week was also Spencer's and Allison's school presidential pageant for Abraham Lincoln. So we made a big chocolate cake for Spencer to look like Lincoln's tall hat. We went to a night at their school where Allison's grade did a puppet show. Oohed at Spencer's class's cakes and wished we could eat them. Sat painfully through choir and band performances and muttered irritation at the people who wouldn't stop talking or would leave and walk around during the performances! Clapped for Allison as she won two awards, one for her essay and one for her sculpture. Kids had a great time and we enjoyed watching them and were proud we kept smiles on our faces for the whole evening.



Taylor has been home sick all week with Jeremy coughing his way to work for the first part of the week but since then getting better. If Taylor could just blow his nose his life would be so much better but instead he just is a goober mess and curled up miserable and snotty for the week. But he is starting to be able to function again and he and I will both be excited for him to go to school on Tuesday. I spent the week talking to his different therapists as we got ready for his yearly IEP. We met Friday and we all agreed to try switching Taylor to the disabled school. I think he will have more opportunities to be stimulated and be physically active and engaged. Its sort of a complicated process but it has gotten started and he should start at the new school in a few weeks. While I was there, I was impressed by how many kids stopped and told Taylor hello and called him by name.

Since this week was a homebody week because of Taylor I tackled Allison's nighstand. Allison has been using our old nightstand that was my uncle Gary's old nightstand from when he was single and first married. Pretty beat up and didn't look so great. So I attempted an experiment. This is what we started with:



And this is the finished result:





Allison loves it. I am figuring out how I want to do her dresser now! It wasn't hard to paint and modge-podge more just a mess. I took over the front hallway by the stairs and for some reason if a messy project is there, the idea that the rest of the house can be messy seems to spread.

Jeremy has been busy working to put together a photo camp he is in charge of that is on March 14th. He has been lining up sponsors, speakers, facilities etc. It is turning into a big deal which is what he wanted so its exciting for him to see it coming together. On Friday night our ward had a valentine's dinner that was a lot of fun. The entertainment was karaoke which we all sort of hemmed and hawed about. But ended up laughing and cheering for the many surprisingly brave and talented (and very untalented) people in our ward. Jeremy was practicing his lines to sing Soldier of love but sadly they didn't have it. The second half of our date was making a run to walmart which isn't very romantic but we did load up on ice cream to stay up way too late watching TV and pigging out.

Valentine's day brought us a bunch of slushy snow. Kids were all excited for our traditional waffles with strawberries and cool whip (spray can is the only way to go in their opinion). Then we went to take Lauri some flowers and work on her computer. She still really doesn't like where she lives but I can't think of another option that would work. Cleaned the office and then spent the day hanging out. I had a temple session with another ward's ward conference and Jeremy and kids made a manly pizza while I was gone putting on tons of meat and cheese. Turned out quite impressive and kids all voted that they liked Dad's manly pizza much better than my girly ones.

Less than a week to Hawaii and I am counting down. Our kids have gotten over the intial resentment that they weren't going too and are now excited for a week of babysitters and the freedoms and liberties that that implies. Love to you all and next post will be pictures of my bare toes toasty warm on some beach!

Heather