Dear Family and Friends,

After sadly saying good-bye to my brother Daniel last Sunday, we got to enjoy Mimi, Claire and Sam two more days. Monday the weather pretended spring had arrived and we headed out to Taipan Trading (this huge decorating store) and Gardner Village. The girls got to eat more than their fair share of treat, feed some very fat ducks and see baby chicks. The day flew by way too quick. I did find a cool knitting yarn store that I only got to peek into at Gardner Village so I will have to return sometime to check it out with my mom or sister. Then Mimi and her sister Nicole went off for the evening to find a gorgeous wedding gown and a temple dress. The rest of us got to entertain Sam and Claire and had a great time. Tuesday was a bit sad as our guests left but we are going to chase the warmth and sun down to Arizona in a few weeks for our spring break so we will all see each other again soon.

I went shoe shopping this week to find Taylor some new shoes for his daffos. He is starting to accept that he will have to walk in them now. He absolutely refuses to walk for one of the aides - teenage rebellion they are calling it. I was able to go to an open house at his school and see how they walk with Taylor on the treadmill so we are going to start adding that in at home.

I sort of took the week off of normal chores last week. So my week was mostly errands, laundry, paying bills, sorting out art supplies at the school and all that other necessary stuff. Robyn was a trooper for most of it although after passing by racks of sandals at one store she insisted it was time to unpack Allison's closet. Every few months we got out a new box of hand me downs from Allison's closet. Robyn thinks it is Christmas. She has been sporting Allison's favorite pink rhinestone sandals all week long - rain or shine. The other kids and I did an inventory of their closets. I am actually anal enough that they have a little survey to fill out about what clothes they have and what they should have, what they need, size, style etc. They actually thought it was fun especially when Allison had a light bulb go off in her head that if she didn't have all the clothes she needed for summer that she could get new ones. She literally ran to her room to start counting her underwear out.

Jeremy's big photo camp is next week. So he has been busy with meetings and a trial run this week, getting everything into place. The keynote speaker is having a workshop Friday and a mixer Thursday night. So Jeremy has been busy setting that up as well and is excited to attend Friday to learn. Our garage is currently full of sodas and snacks for the event. Of of my errands this week was thanks to Jeremy doing photography for the "pearl lady". I was able to go over with Robyn to pick out some new earrings. I no longer have little babies yanking my ear lobes so it widens my choices quite a bit. I love when Jeremy does trade work.

Friday Allison took her guinea pig, Midnight, in for show and tell. She sure loves that thing. We put a little dish into its cage to catch the drips from its water bottle which keeps soaking up all its bedding. She thought it made the perfect toilet. I didn't realize that you can toilet train a guinea pig. On Saturday, Jeremy ran over with Allison so she could buy a guinea pig leash. Midnight hasn't let her put it on all the way yet but I am sure by summer she will be taking Midnight for walks. On Friday was Spencer's math pie day to celebrate March 14th or 3-14. I was informed Thursday that he needed a pie Friday morning - nothing like a lot of notice! Made me glad we bottled some apple pie filling last summer.

Friday we had another spring like day where I weeded and fertilized. Then we had snow and rain all day Friday so it definitely motivates you to seize the day whenever sunshine is present. That afternoon Jason and Kelly brought their kids over to stay the weekend while they went to Colorado to visit her brother. So we have had a cousin party weekend. Friday night all the girls, Taylor and Meredith and I went up to the U of U to watch a gymnastics meet. I am not sure how much the girls enjoyed it besides their enormous rice crispie treats but it really was an awesome spectacle. They had 4 colleges making the circuit around the floor with 11 thousand fans in attendance. The feats they can do blows the mind. Robyn started off the evening with a cough and by the end was really hacking away with a fever. So she has been homebound since. There is something about cousins being over that brings out the germs in our house. By Saturday Brynn was coughing too. I am really chugging my vitamins and washing my hands right now!

Saturday I took Kayla and Allison and we went to Nicole, Mimi's sister's wedding shower. I am out of practice on wedding showers as all I go to now are baby showers it seems like. So I forgot what the presents are like. But the college kids in attendance curbed their comments and I covered the girls' eyes if necessary. Allison chugged away monkey bread refreshments and it was a lot of fun. Saturday afternoon was Spencer's birthday party. Mom and Dad, your present arrived and is wrapped on our table. Jeremy took Spencer, Garion and our neighbor Connor up to a rock climbing gym for the afternoon. Boys got over their anxiety after a few climbs and had a great time. Jeremy came back with sore arms from being the sole person to belay them for a few hours. Had pizza, cake and ice cream and then watched a movie. It was a good night.

This weekend has made me feel that Jeremy and I are not the most fun aunt and uncle out there. I feel a bit badly at times about that. But then someone does something they shouldn't and I am the spoil sport all over again. At least they like their cousins and hopefully someday Brynn will forgive us. It has been a fun weekend though and our kids and us will be sad to see it end.

We all forgot daylight savings time this morning. Thought I got up early with Brynn but I guess I didn't! I am not looking forward to tomorrow morning and getting up in the dark again. It has been fun running outside without a flashlight! Spencer very reluctantly showed us his 5th grade maturation program flyer. Its held Thursday night and since Jeremy will be at a photo camp thing I get to go be with all the dads and sons to hear the sex talk. Spencer really, really does not want to go. His response, "You already told me everything and I hope I never have to hear about that stuff again!" A promise of ice cream afterward seems to be warming him up to the idea.

love to you all, Heather

Our Saturday afternoon. A tea party, a beauty salon with Allison being the hair stylist and then an art studio.


This week I opened a can of nutella. Our kids, thought chocolate on toast for breakfast was wonderful. They ate it up quickly with a look of "I better eat this before Mom comes to her senses".











Since Jeremy was the only adult there he took this picture with his phone while holding all the ropes.