Keeping Busy!

Since school has started, the kids and I have been busy, busy, busy with homework, but we try to have some fun too when we can.

My brother-in-law Adam was in Utah for a family reunion (that sounded fun) and dropped by my parents' house so we could all get together for a few hours. (Sorry we didn't get to visit longer, Adam.) His wife, my sister Tiffany, was still in Georgia holding down the fort. They have four dogs who need to be taken care of.
Sabrina asked if she could make the salad for dinner one night, but wouldn't let me see it until she was done. She cut all these vegetables by herself and carefully placed them where she wanted them in the bowl. Then she proudly unveiled her creation. After I told her how beautiful it was and what a good job she had done, she wanted to take a picture, just like her mom always does to her food. It won't be long now before she has her own cooking blog.

Elisa had to plan a family activity for a class assignment so she planned a picnic. She made the menu and then made sandwiches and got all of the food together in a basket. We went to the park to eat and play frisbee. It was very fun and nice not to be the one to plan everything.

Then after the picnic, we went home and made treats and took some to my brother Jared at the hospital where he works as an EKG technician. Sabrina had fun in the wheelchair.

Another day, Sabrina had her big butterfly release. She had seen a commercial on TV to buy a kit to raise caterpillars which would turn into butterflies. She was so motivated to buy it that she worked until she had enough money. She would watch those little caterpillars move, and every day getting bigger. Then after they turned into butterflies, she didn't want to let them go, but I convinced her after more than a week that they needed to fly free. The release was a bit anti-climatic for her.

She opened the habitat and expected them to fly out, but she had to actually take each one out and still they didn't fly away.

Then they didn't fly far. I think Sabrina was jealous that one of the butterflies landed on Elisa even though they were her butterflies.

But then she got to hold one too.

The cousins were there for the "excitement" too.

A short while after Adam got back to Georgia, Tiffany (AKA Aunt T) came out for a visit.

We got to spend more time with her than we did with Adam. The kids and I went bowling with her.

Sabrina was afraid of the noise the ball made when she threw it and it thumped on the floor. Then we went to the park for a little while. We were watching these pretty blue birds.

We had fun with Aunt T and look forward to seeing her again when she gets back from her bike tour in Southern Utah.

Then I took the kids to The Moving Wall, a half-sized replica of the Vietnam War Memorial. I have never been to the one in Washington, D.C. The number of names on the wall is unbelievable and sad. I am very grateful for those people who serve our country!

This weekend I'll be doing lots of studying while the kids are with their dad and it's stake conference weekend so I'll get a giant dose of the Spirit. I am looking forward to that, like I always am when it comes time again.