Nativity

Here is a summary of Mary’s day:

dec1She slept the whole day. Yesterday Lydia woke her up from her nap, so I guess Mary needed to make up for lost sleepy time. She threw a tantrum right after breakfast because I wouldn’t let her nap right away, so I gave in. In total she took a nap at

9:20 am Wake up

10 am-11:50am NAP

1pm-2:15pm NAP (in car, in grocery store, at home)

2:30pm-6:15pm NAP (Lydia woke her up).

It’s a rough life.

Lydia had her first day of her new preschool today, and she seemed to like it. We made a last minute decision to pull her out of Challenger and enroll her in the preschool around the corner. It turned out to be a great decision–I was running very late today, and we still made it in time!

Chelsea, Derek, Camden, Carter and Liv all joined us for dinner tonight. It was so reassuring to know we have friends we love so close by! Chelsea found out about a live nativity that takes place the first Monday in December (today), and so after dinner we all headed out there. It was a beautiful experience.

The night was clear and not too cold, and we all had to walk through various stations of Christ’s birth. At each station people in costume would read scriptures, bear their testimonies, and lead us in Christmas hymns. One really striking visual image occurred near the end when a whole choir dressed as angels sang hymns. They were standing on really tall hay bales with spotlights on them, so it looked like they were in the sky. Lydia watched with mouth agape.  We also really liked the man who played Joseph. He actually got teary delivering his part, and what he had to say about Jesus was so moving.

And now we are happy and exhausted. I actually just fell asleep while typing, so that’s my cue to sign off.

Wee Witches

This morning we went to Gardner Village for Wee Witches Weekend with the Pe’as and the Andersons. I have a ton of pictures, so without further ado:

Left to right: Lydia, Ada, Mary, Natalie, Liv
Left to right: Lydia, Ada, Mary, Natalie, Liv

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There was dancing!

IMG_9804 IMG_9813 IMG_9814IMG_9797IMG_9800IMG_9815 IMG_9815 IMG_9816 IMG_9817And hand holding:

IMG_9822 IMG_9824And bubbles:

IMG_9832As we were leaving, I ran into one of my new friends from culinary school! It was a treat to see her and meet her beautiful children. Then Abe and I headed to the farmer’s market before coming home to crash.

After naps, we went on a bunch of errands. We bought enough chili for 200 people at Costco (Abe is in charge of the ward Trunk or Treat), checked books out from the library, grocery shopped, ate junky fast food, and played at the park:

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Abe explaining the game of Tag to the girls.
Abe explaining the game of tag to the girls.

Birthday eve with my mom, Clark, Swathi and Balu

Today I baked Mary’s birthday cake, made dinner, folded laundry, and did some errands. It was so, so wonderful to have my mom around during the day. That made everything feel like a celebration.

Mom and Mary in their nightgowns.
Mom and Mary in their nightgowns.
The girls watched their new favorite Disney movie, Snow White, while I baked Mary's cake.
The girls watched their new favorite Disney movie, Snow White, while I baked Mary’s cake.
The roses outside. Our wonderful landlords were here doing yard work during the morning. They love my mom and were so happy to see her.
The roses outside. Our wonderful landlords were here doing yard work during the morning. They love my mom and were so happy to see her.

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Abe's work team. They all got to celebrate today because everyone met their quota! They celebrated by zip lining through Provo Canyon for two hours. Abe said it was really fun and beautiful because all the colors are changing.
Abe’s work team. They all got to celebrate today because everyone met their quota! They celebrated by zip lining through Provo Canyon for two hours. Abe said it was really fun and beautiful because all the colors are changing.
That's not Abe, but it is the zip line!
That’s not Abe, but it is the zip line!

We had dinner with Clark, Swathi, my mom and Balu. We tried to go on a walk afterwards, but we got caught in a torrential downpour. Abe and I decided to take the girls on some last minute errands, so we did that instead.

And now…happy weekend, and happy early birthday to Mary!!!

Picnics and iPad videos

Today we had an inspiring Sunday School, and Abe and I got to pay attention again because Mary stayed in nursery! We are so happy about her transition.

After church, we went to Ensign Park for a picnic with Aria, Clay, Espen, Enna, Paige, Mike, Ada and Liv.

IMG_0026 IMG_0017 IMG_0018 IMG_0022 IMG_0023 IMG_0024Then we came home and napped. When we finally got up, we took the rest of the evening sloowly. I made strawberry-rhubarb bars, and we ate snacks for dinner while watching some of these videos on the iPad.

Abe and Lydia did the dishes:

IMG_7695Then Abe chased the girls (since Mary napped until 7:15 pm) until they were ready for bed.

Now for our first early bed time all week!

Wonderful Sunday

We had the best Sunday we’ve had in a long time today. It really felt like the perfect Sunday. We got a lot of rest in, we were uplifted at church (Mary stayed in Nursery!!!) and we had a great evening with our friends, the Andersons.

I resolved to take pictures before they came over while the girls were outside playing with Abe, but I got distracted by practicing the piano and the pile of dishes in the sink. I did manage to take a couple while they were here.

So cute.
So cute.
Lydia had an accident, so they all took a bath together.
Lydia had an accident, so they all took a bath together.

Not much else to say about today, except that we adore the Andersons and enjoyed our evening visiting with them. We’re hoping to get to bed early so as to get a head start on this busy week. We leave for California on Wednesday!!!

Happy Easter!

I have a ton of cute pictures from Easter, so we’ll just get to the good stuff right away:

IMG_7403 IMG_7406 IMG_7411 IMG_7417Then after church and naps, we headed to the Miners’ for dinner and their Easter egg hunt. That was egg hunt #5 of the season for the girls.

The girls posed with a bunny and had a little scuffle  about who got to hold the bunny....
The girls posed with a bunny and had a little scuffle about who got to hold the bunny….

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...Mary won that fight.
…Mary won that fight.
I made rolls again to bring to the dinner.  (This was the small pan.)
I made rolls again to bring to the dinner. (This was the small pan.)

Egg hunt:

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Frankie, the dog, wasn’t interested in the eraser Mary repeatedly offered. But he didn’t mind being petted. That was great, since Mary spent a lot of time chasing him down to pet. Lydia prefers to keep a very healthy distance from dogs.

Then we came home, Skyped with Clark and Swathi, talked with my mom, picked up the house, and now will hopefully get a jump start on early bed time for the week. Happy Easter!