Phone pics overload

I don't download my phone pictures very often because I knew quite remember how to do it and I have to refigure it out every time.   But, the other day, I decided I better do it....

 Hailey after Sam's 9 month check up

 Jack (the one with his hands in his pockets)  playing a little ward basketball

 Kate reading a story she wrote to her class

 This winter, Jon decided it was time that our kids learn to ski.  Hannah and Hailey have to wait until next year, but Hailey was sure excited to try on the stuff.

 We LOVE puzzles at our house.  We finished these 2 in just a few days.

 Hannah, age 7 1/2, finally lost her first tooth!

 Kate participated in the school spelling bee and took 4th place

 Our hamster, Charlie

 Jack had a fun season of Jr. Jazz

 Lindsey was asked to make these cookies for a baptism.  She is amazing!

 I was able to go on a field trip with Hailey's preschool class to the post office to mail a Valentine's.  This is Charlotte, Hailey & McKinley!

 I was in charge of White Ribbon Week (internet safety) at our school in February and with the help of my friend Petra, we made an interactive space station out of cardboard and recycled things.  It was soooo fun!

 For President's Day weekend, we headed to St. George with my parents and Rich's family for Emily's soccer tournament.  My favorite parts include playing games, especially trivia, at night with my dad!

 Valentine's Day - Sam wasn't wanting anything to do with it :)

 Children's Museum - St. George

 Our amazing 6th grade teachers do a Shakespeare unit and Jack, although hesitant, ended up really enjoying it!  He was in Hamlet & Midsummer's Night Dream.  It was fun to see him on "stage."

 One of his characters was The Wall.

 My mom gave me this plant.  You can tell how well I take care of plants!

 Swinging with Sam

 I took Hailey & Hannah to Disney on Ice.  Our seats were sooo high.  Hailey told me she was scared!

 Emily and Lindsey have been doing winter training all winter with the high school soccer team and ended up playing against each other in a futsal tournament.

 A week after Disney on Ice, we got free tickets from our home teacher to go to the U of U women's gymnastics meet.  The seats were awesome and we had a great time!

Emily - MOS dance

In January, one night the doorbell rang and we found this on the porch....

She was asked to MOS (the boy's organization at Murray High School) by her good friend, Tim Nelson.  Tim is a senior and is in our ward.  We just love his family and Emily was really excited.

The dance was at the end of January and the theme was Neon.  It was a fun, casual dance and she had a great time!

We are definitely entering the phase of life of lots and lots of school dances!

Emily & Tim

Kate's 10th Birthday

A decade old!  How could my Kate possibly be 10 years old already??!!  It seems like yesterday that we met this little, calm, sweet blonde baby of ours.  To this day still, I smile every time I think of her being blonde and her being mine!  I just love it!

In January, Kate had her birthday!   She has wanted a pet ever since she realized what a pet was.  The poor thing - she lives with a mom who is not a pet person.  I clean up after so many people and wipe enough bums, that taking care of another living thing just isn't what I want to do.   Several weeks before her birthday, Kate prepared a lovely Powerpoint presentation for Jon and I about leopard geckos.  She was quite convincing and we decided that it was probably fine to get one.  (One of the things that sold me on it was that they could go several days without needing to be fed).

So, on the Saturday before her birthday, Jon took her to Petsmart.  He bought everything you need for a leopard gecko and then started talking to the sales lady.  She proceeded to tell him about a baby leopard gecko.  Apparently, they eat up to 60 live crickets a day as a baby.  Eventually, they don't need as much and can go a few days.  Jon called me and I said absolutely not!  First of all, where would I keep live crickets and second of all, I don't even go to the store for our own food that often, so I was sure not going to do it for a lizard.

Kate was devastated!  She came home crushed.  

Jon and I talked about it and decided to propose the idea of a hamster, gerbil, etc.   Kate was happy with that idea, so Jon loaded up the geckos supplies and drove back to the store to exchange it for hamster supplies.  That is how Charli joined our family!

She was Kate's main gift, but she was excited to wake up on her birthday to find a few more :)

 That night, we had a dinner of her choice and had donuts.

 The following Sunday, we had a family dinner to celebrate her birthday as well as Mike & Mandy's

 Cute cousins - Zoey, Kate & Alyssa

 January birthdays!

Happy 10th Birthday to my sweet Kate!

Facts about Kate:

1. She's in Mrs. Horne's 4th grade class.  She loves reading, writing & math.  Mrs. Horne lets her "guest teach" a couple of math lessons a week and she loves that.  She wants to be a teacher and a mom when she wakes up.

2.  She hates eating lunch at school, so she'll usually eat leftovers for breakfast and a huge snack when she gets home.  I don't know how she makes it that long in the day.  

3.  She loves to dance.  She has a hip hop, ballet/tap & jazz class during the week.

4.  She is a kind, loving, caring friend.  She recently had a little girl in her class taken out of her foster home and Kate came up absolutely devastated for her.  She cried and cried for this little friend.

5.  She's organized and loves making lists - a girl after my own heart!

6.  She's always the last one out the door.  She always has one last thing to grab or do, etc.  Very Bowen-like :)

7.  She just started taking piano lessons again and is enjoying that.  She was recently cast as "Abu" in the Up With Kids show "Aladdin."  She's super excited about that. 

8.  She memorizes like no other.  Every week, she memorizes a new poem and her teacher is constantly finding new things for her to memorize.

9.  She's beautiful and sweet and I absolutely love being Kate's mom!