snips and snails and puppy dog tails

Baby #6 showed us at the ultrasound that he is definitely of the male variety. We brought home blue treats to share the news with the rest of the kids. Emma, while she had been saying she didn't really care, looked a little disappointed. The boys looked completely uninterested. As soon as you say the word baby, Anne just runs off in search of a doll. Dave is thrilled. And I am well on my way to fulfilling my dad's prophecy of me being the mother to five boys. Don't ask me how I feel about that!

curly

 

This is what Anne looks like if you don't comb her hair after a bath.

will you be my valentine?

We began our Valentine's Day celebrations last Friday with our homeschool group party. I really love this support group. The other moms are all fantastic. The kids are all nice to each other. I am so glad we've been able to make such friends. For this party, several moms pitched in with games and crafts. I led the kids in playing Who Do You Love? to get us started. Then they got to eat food, decorate cookies and cupcakes, make an iLove (iTouch knock-off), listen to stories, and make cards. Plus they exchanged Valentines. We had to make and bring 170 Valentines. All around it was a great time. Since I forgot to bring my camera to the party, I can only share our pile of Valentines and the post-party candy exchange.

On Valentine's Day, the weather was so gorgeous that we took the day off of school and went to the park instead.

Dave brought home donuts and chocolate covered strawberries for lunch.

I took the kids out to JCW's for dinner. Mmmm, milkshakes. Then the other kids went to Aunt Katie's house while Emma, Dave and I went to her violin recital. She performed Minuet in G by Beethoven and played really well. Since I am trying though always failing to be as awesome as my mom, I accompanied both Emma and another student. Eventually the accompaniments may get too hard for me to play but for now I am glad I get to do it.

12 on 12 | february

[click to enlarge]

1. I spent the morning at our stake Women's Conference. I am never excited about going to these things but I am so glad I went. First, we listened to a women's quartet called One Clear Voice. Their songs were beautiful and their messages quite touching. You can hear some samples of their songs 

here and here

Everyone, including me, was wiping away tears. Then we listened to Janice Kapp Perry who had us busting up with laughter and being inspired to take risks. I had no idea that she didn't start writing music until she was 40. A few things she said:

--have a goal and write it down

--even the smallest distance towards your goal is a victory

--don't let fear rob you of opportunity

--"Watch for the right time and season and then show gratitude for your gifts by magnifying them."

2. When I came home, I put the kids to work in their zones for a quick clean up.

3. Anne found someone's stash of candy from the previous day's party.

4. Emma and I went up to Salt Lake to go to a baby shower for my sister-in-law. I hate playing the games but I always enjoy the food and conversation.

5. Emma left to go tubing with her cousin, Melissa, so I headed down to Orem to go to the library.

6. Dave attended the worldwide leadership training this afternoon, hence the tie. He decided to try making mash potato pancakes for dinner. That didn't appeal to me, but Nathan sure enjoyed them.

7. When I asked where the pop came from, Dave replied, "I was filling my bucket" in reference to an earlier conversation we'd had. He rarely does anything for himself.

8. Slade has been spending lots of time laying on his bed listening to the Harry Potter books.

9. My baby belly has began to show. I am finally resigning myself to maternity clothes.

10. We spent a relaxing evening at home. Dave napped on the couch.

11. I read on the couch. This evening, I read How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. We are definitely not becoming vegetarians but I am on a quest to increase our fruits and vegetables and reduce our meat consumption.

12. Anne ran in circles in the living room while we sat on the couches. Easy entertainment.

snapshots of everyday life

We all love playing Just Dance 2. I especially enjoy watching the boys play. They've got some moves!

I managed to get Annie's hair into pigtails. She looked so adorable. Sadly and not surprisingly, the hairdo did not last long. She ended the day looking like this:

 I've been trying to reduce the amount of screen time at our house. Winter might not be the best time to try this since they can't always go outside. Instead, they do fun but messy stuff like making blanket pits at the bottom of the stairs.

Emma finally got to take out her studs on the 7th. She has had a wonderful time trying out all her cute earrings ever since. Sometimes she looks entirely too grown up!

We've been doing our schoolwork upstairs in the kitchen more often this month. It is just too cold downstairs. I can hardly believe we are in the middle of our 7th year of homeschooling. There are always things I need to do better (writing, reading, music, art) but I think we have a really good system going on.

The younger kids always enjoy getting a little Starfall time on the computer after their Math is done. I couldn't help but take a picture of this set-up.

let them eat cake

Emma has a definite interest in cake decorating. She recently decided she should try out her skills instead of just watching shows like Cake Boss. I showed her a picture of a chocolate cake and she made her version completely on her own.

Then, today we decided to try out royal icing on sugar cookies. She invited a friend over to join in the decorating too. While nowhere near the quality of the cookie blogs I often visit, they turned out pretty cute. These are the ones I did. I really need to work on my outlining skills.

Wouldn't it be a fun way to earn money as a teenager if she got good enough to make cakes for people? We could go into business together--Danny Cakes, LLC. Maybe? Perhaps we're not quite ready for that yet but this is the kind of practicing that is fun!