Old Woman of the Month

We found out that Scarlett's entire class was chosen to be Student of the Month for December 2016 for the courage they all showed during the difficult loss of their teacher.  The morning they gave the awards I woke up, got ready, nursed Skye, and did everyone's hair - and we were on time for the 8am assembly.  It doesn't seem nearly as impressive typing it out as it felt in real life.  So just be proud of me.  Thanks.  Anyways... we went to the gym and waited for all the classes to file in.  When the announced Scarlett's class they just had them all stand up and wave to everyone.  Their paraprofessional explained why the whole class got the award - it was a very touching moment.  Lots of people were teary (obviously not the twirls).

After the assembly they had her class line up for a photo.  Then they stood in line to go back to class.  Her teacher said "hips and lips" (you put on hand on your hip and a finger on your lip).  I loved watching how obedient Scarlett is.  She just loves to follow the rules!

Yay!  I love this anxious little smile!  Glad to see she's adjusting to school and enjoying herself more.

The charted school has "Dress Down Days" every other week.  But they have a lot of extra dress down days for special events.  Many of them are themed.  This is a terrible situation for someone who loves costumes and has secret LARPing desires.  Let's just say - we go all out!  The best part is I have most of the things I need to make her outfits already in my possession!

For the 80th day of school - dress like the 1980s!  I knew that crimper would come in handy again some day!

For the 100th day of school, dress like you're 100 years old.  We talked a lot about different ideas and Scarlett really wanted her hair painted and makeup wrinkles.  YAY!  I watched a few youtube tutorials on aging makeup.  They said to use your natural lines, when I went to do her makeup that morning I realized that she doesn't have any lines!!!  haha!  But we got it done.  And I nursed Skye, loaded all the girls, and made it to school on time (it's really the small victories of me)!

I don't know why, but something about the lighting in our car really enhanced the old lady image.  Crazy!

We talked about what someone who was 100 would say.  Crazy to think that I don't think she's ever met someone that old before.  Anyways, I got this cute video of her acting old:

The school had an indoor carnival day for families one Saturday, the "Winter Blast."  I thought it was so clever how they did it.  Every kid got a paper with a blank grid on it.  As you did different games and got different points they would put a stamp in the boxes on the paper.  At the very end of the carnival you took your stamped paper to the prize room and they counted how many stamps you got in order to get a prize.  What a great idea!  The girls really enjoyed playing the games.  Scarlett even got to throw a pie in a teacher's face!  It was a fun afternoon!

Scarlett's family tradition poster on the wall - going to Utah every year is our tradition.  Then she brought home a paper snowman that we had to disguise - so we turned it into rainbow dash!

Scarlett had a day off of school when I was teaching preschool - letter O.  Making an octopus out of a paper plate and pipe cleaners.  Look at all these cute ladies!  Girl Power!

Before Christmas I was having a moment of feeling sorry for myself (I promise, it was just for a moment).  I just couldn't figure out why Scarlett was in Mrs. Roy's class.  Of all the classes at that school.  And the fact that it felt like a miracle to be placed in that school to begin with.  Then all the times we got to chat with her at ballet.  The connection we made with her in just a short time.  I was just confused at why we were going through this experience (I know, it sounds very dramatic and selfish, but just stick with me).  As I was contemplating this I had a very strong impression that I needed to make a memory book for her family with all the memories at the school.  I was standing in the shower and I can remember it perfectly cause it was such a powerful feeling.  I realized that I have the experience to pull something together, plus my superpower (GSD - get shiz done).  I'm not sure why Scarlett got to be in Mrs. Roy's class, and I'm sure there are many reasons.  But I knew that I needed to make sure that this book got done.

I spoke with the Dean over kindergarten and he sent out an email to all the parents, teachers, and administrators asking for memories.  I spoke with my mom about this project and she had the brilliant idea that I should go take photos of the classroom before the new teacher moves in.  So the last day of school before winter break I went into the classroom and took a ton of photos of every part of the classroom.  Every little organized box represents who Katie was.  I'm grateful that we were able to capture it.

All during January I got lots of stories and photos sent to me.  I worked on the book little by little.  It was such an emotional project.  There were some nights that I could only do a tiny bit.  But I loved getting to know her better.  To see all the lives she touched.  I made the book colorful and fun, just like she was.  I was able to order the book at the beginning of February, my parents asked if they could donate the books to the school.  We bought a copy for her husband, her parents, the classroom, and my parents bought one for me.  A few days after they arrived Scarlett came to me and said "I feel sad cause I miss Mrs Roy" how perfect that I had this new book of fun memories to share with her.  It was just what we both needed.  We sat down and went through all the photos.  She loved how silly and fun she was.

If you want to see the whole book: View Book Here.  Here are a few of the pages. The covers...

Her class painted flowers - remembrance poppies.  They also put all their fingerprints in a heart...

This was our family's page...

Scarlett drew this picture for the book.  She drew Mrs. Roy with angel wings and she wanted to show cute, painted fingernails and high heels.  When she drew this, the angel wings were the first thing she put on the paper. 

Scarlett will often pray: "Please let Mrs Roy have fun in heaven."  One time she said: " and please bless Mrs Roy to be having fun in heaven and teaching kindergarten in heaven."  Mrs. Roy comes up often and at random times.  One day Jaide colored a picture "this is for Mrs Roy."

Ashley sent me this picture.  Lyla's preschool teacher was concerned cause she drew a girl crying.  It was a picture of Scarlett crying cause her teacher died.  What sweet friends we have.  Mourning with those who mourn.

After Christmas Scarlett met her new teacher, Mrs. Meldrum.  I asked her about her first day with her new teacher and she said "it was... Different."  Every day has got a little more normal.  One day I asked her how school was and she said "There was a miracle today at the blue table!  We couldn't find the light pink crayon but then we found it!  It was a miracle!"  I bet they all needed a miracle that day!

9th Anniversary

I can't believe that we've been married for NINE years!  Crazy!  Time sure does fly!!!!

For our anniversary we did a swap with the Sawayas.  They watched our kids at their house, fed them dinner, then Laura drove them to our home and put them to bed!  AMAZING!

We took Skye with us and headed to PF Chang's in Detroit.  That's where we ate on our Honeymoon and we have gone there for many of our anniversaries.  Tradition!  Skye slept the entire dinner!  What an angel sweetie!  The food was delicious and we even splurged and got dessert (we are staying away from sugar, flour, dairy, soda, etc for this year).

Jake and I had so much fun!  It was wonderful to just hang out and enjoy each other.  We talked about all sorts of things: the past 9 years, the next 9 years, dream vacations, isothermal reactions, ATP transports in cells, all our goals, fun ideas for family activities, home projects, .... all those things that we don't have enough time to talk about during the normal grind of the week.

After dinner we went to NAIAS: North American International Auto Show.  If you are interested in cars, then you really should come visit us during NAIAS some time.  It's so cool!  We saw lots of fun things including a life size Lego Batmobile.  I noticed that the GM building downtown had the bat signal projected on it!  haha!  We had fun looking at all the manufacturers new lines.  We even found a little corner for me to feed Skye.  She was a delight!  She just loved looking at everything.  She sat quietly in her stroller and played with her toys.  With her chunky cheeks and sparkling headband she got lots of attention from other people at the show.

In the Ford display they had this huge screen.  Every 5 min or so they would have a live clip where their TV crew would show off a design feature of a different Ford car.  We happened to be close to the camera crew when they were getting ready to start filming.  I dared Jake to walk in the background while I video taped the big screen.  See if you can spot him walking in the background:

A little while later we noticed they were filming where we were standing again, so I sent Jake over to walk in the background again.  I didn't even need to convince him this time haha!  We thought we were so funny!  I promise that we're responsible adults in real life!  See if you can find him on this clip too:

At one point we went and looked at some Formula race cars.  We had a question about the suspension design.  The engineer came over and we asked our question.  He started directing his answer to Jake (which happens, I'm used to it), Jake was like "actually my wife's the racer, this is her question."  So he started talking shop with me.  But the best was when he turned to Jake and started explaining what we were talking about in simple terms.  haha!  Like Jake was the trophy husband, the arm candy!  hahahahaha!  The roles were reversed! 

Jake bought me this Loch Ness Monster soup ladle.  He knows the way to me heart!  Mi amor!

So glad to be married to Jake! Best decision I've ever made! I'm so grateful for eternal families and that I get to be with him forever! Yay for anniversaries!

FAVORITE THINGS 2016!!!!!!

Ok folks, here we go!  I used the =rand() function in excel to pick the winners.

Wrinkle Releaser - This is probably my favorite find for the whole year!  I was complaining about how I hate ironing, and my mom told me to just use wrinkle releaser.  What the what?!  You just hang the shirt after you pull it out of the dryer and spray it down.  The next morning the wrinkles are gone.  Some fabrics work better than others, but it works!  I use it on t-shirts, jeans, dress shirts, even Jake's church shirt. I LOVE this stuff!  WINNER: SNORT SAUCE

Eyebrow Scraper Blades - Everyone has facial hair.  Some people think that only boys need to shave their mustaches - WRONG!  Even if your facial hair is blond or grey, it is still visible.  So... how to get rid of it?  Scraper blades!  These are awesome!  They work on dry skin and are easy to use.  My little girls have the famous Glauser brow - so I may or may not have used these on them.  They think that they tickle.  So seriously, every person needs to have these on hand.  Mustache, beard, sideburns, unibrow, cheek fuzz... it helps with it all!  WINNER: AMY BODEN

Belt Hangar - Ever get frustrated when you dig around for a spaghetti undershirts and they just unfold and get all messed up?  How about keeping your bras organized in your dresser?  This is my solution.  I use belt hangars!  I hang the tank tops, both straps on the same hook.  Similar colors together.  I've been doing this for years.  But this past year I bought another hangar for my bras.  I just hang them, one strap on the hook and the bra hangs vertically.  So much cleaner!  WINNER: CAROLYN GLAUSER 

Lysol No-Touch - No touch hand soap.  Need I say more?  I have tried 3 different models and this is the best.  The only down side is you have to buy their special hand soap.  Less germs.  Less mess.  WINNER: JAMILOYCE

Oil Vault - These cool things are the modern version of the consecrated oil keychain.  These are little envelopes the size of a credit card.  Each contains one single drop of olive oil.  And the prayers for a priesthood blessing are printed right on the back.  WINNER: ASHLEY FURNESS

Here Are More Favorite Finds.........

Elastic Waist Dress Pants - I hate jeans.  Like really hate them.  I was left wearing sweat pants all the time.  I finally decided I needed to get some new pants.  As a happy medium I wanted to wear dress pants.  I went to Dillards and found a whole section of cute pants with ELASTIC WAIST BANDS!  I got 2 pair and I love them!  They fit so well and there is no waist gap or buttons poking out.

Eyebrow Mascara - I hate when my eyebrows get all messed up during the day.  Simple solution: eyebrow mascara.  You just comb your eyebrows with the brush and they stay in place.  Easy peesy!  

Toeless Tights - Have you ever wanted to wear a peep toe shoe when you need nylons?  I was so excited when I found these gems.  Now I can wear cute shoes and have flawless looking legs!

Project Fi - I bought a new phone and switched my cell provider to Google's Project.  It works so great for me!  If you use less than 3 GB of data a month (I'm always home, on wi-fi) then this might be a good option for you too!

Personalization Mall - We bought water bottles with the girls' names on them.  They love having their very own cup and no one fights over them.  I love the quality and how easy they were to order.

Lock Laces - The girls all get shoes with laces this past year.  That was just too many bows to tie every time we left the house.  So I bought lock laces for all their shoes.  So perfect!  They could take their shoes on and off all by themselves!  

Baby Vitamin D - Since I have breastfed all my babies we have used a lot of Vitamin D.  With the 3 older girls it was a nasty syringe full of brown liquid.  But with Skye we discovered these new Vitamin D drops.  One single drop you put on your breast right before feeding.  No gagging.  No throwing up.  Just a healthy baby!

Silicone Rings - Christy showed us these awesome rings!  I bought one for Jake and a different brand for me (thinner) and we love them.  So comfy!  Now Jake has a wedding ring he can wear dirtbiking.  I have a wedding ring I can wear doing dishes and changing diapers.

IKEA Foldable Bags - This little bag has come in handy so many times.  If folds little and it's super lightweight.  I keep it in my purse for those random times you just need an extra hand.  It has held shoes, coats, artwork, snacks, trash, blankets, snacks, etc.

10ft Charging Cable - My new phone, Nexus 5X, uses the new USB-C charging cable.  I bought some new cables to put around my house.  The longest cable I bought is ten feet long.  I use it next to my bed for changing my phone at night.  I love how I can plug my phone in and still play on it while lying in bed.

Hydr-8 - After having Scarlett in the hospital they gave me a water mug that looked similar to this.  I LOVE this mug.  I used mine every single day for five years.  It got gross.  I found this replacement on Amazon.  It's not cheap.  $17 for a mug.  But totally worth it.  It goes through the dishwasher great, keeps my water cold, and holds 32 oz.  It even has handy lines if you want help drinking enough water every day.

Zeolite Rocks - We bought 2 of these bags for our basement.  We had a musty basement due to water damage and within days the smell was gone.  I'm a believer.

Ice Breakers Duo - These are the girls' favorite. I keep them in my purse and pull them out when I need to bribe them into doing something. But be warned: eating a whole container in one morning will lead to explosive diarrhea (as the twirls found out on Christmas day).

My Favorite Things of 2016 - Giveaway

FINALLY!  IT'S THAT TIME!!!!!!

Blollowers - Please leave a comment on this post if your want to be entered in this year's giveaway.  

It doesn't matter if you check our blog every morning or if you catch up occasionally, we're just glad you take time to read about our chaotic & sweaty lives!  Everyone is included - so please enter even if you have been blog-stalking us secretly. ;-)

In case you want to remember our past favorite things...
2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011