February Comes to a Close

We started off the week with a day off for the kids and Chris. I ran Rhaevyn to three different Goodwill stores that day. She was on the hunt for some books. She scored big time! She was able to purchase a couple of books that belong to two book series; buying a good chunk at the Goodwill  stores we went to. She used the rest of her Barnes and Nobles gift card to buy three books. We were lucky to have a 20% off coupon too. I found a dress at one Goodwill store that I loved. I didn't try it on and ended up deciding not to get it. But I kept thinking about it and thought perhaps it might be cute on Aeva, although probably pretty big. We stopped later in the week for her to take a look at it. Rhaevyn went in, snapped a picture of it, and brought the phone back out to the car so Aeva could see the picture. It was a "no". We stopped again the next day because Rhaevyn thought she saw one of the books she still needed, but alas it was one she already had. I did try on the dress, but the zipper was broken. I gave up the idea of purchasing it. However an idea formed in my head that night. I talked to a friend who does a lot of sewing of clothes. We decided that we could either fix the zipper or get rid of it entirely. So, I went back on Thursday and it was 50% off. I got it for $4. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it is of a vintage style, and I love it! I can't wait to get it fixed so I can wear it.

Our dishwasher finally came in. It was supposed to be delivered sometime Friday, but Tuesday afternoon Chris informed me he was just going to pick it up and bring it home. I think he was tired of doing dishes by hand. It is so nice to have a working dishwasher again!!!! We can't believe how quiet it is :)

I helped Meg pick out some items to spend her Valentine's money on. She is always using Myles's special crayons. While most of the time he is okay with it, he is forever worrying she is going to break them. She now has her own special crayons and Play-Doh. I think all the kids like coming to the table to play and make things with Meg's Play-Doh :)

Lucky me had coupons for haircuts. Myles was looking a bit shaggy and I just wanted my A frame cut more defined and a bit shorter. I took  Myles to Great Clips for his hair cut, and I went to Supercuts for mine. My cut didn't turn out quite the way I hoped, but I'm trying to make the best of it. On the bright side: it is a lot faster to get my hair done now :) Here is my handsome young man and me.

This was Meg's date month with Chris and the first time I've put her on the date lineup. It was a short date because there was so much going on Friday evening, but they went out for ice cream. She had a fun time.

Friday evening Myles invited a friend over to watch a movie and have treats. While they were enjoying the 5th Harry Potter, and Chris was on the date with Meg, Rhaevyn was babysitting and I quickly ran an errand to the store to get Gatorade for one of my visiting teachers whose daughter was very sick. I was glad when everyone was home and settled in bed so that I could just sit and decompress from the busy week. 
Aeva finished up her second project for her CGT class. The teacher was doing a "show and tell" of all the projects, and when she got to Aeva's she said that she was a "wiz" with the pen tool. I think this embarrassed Aeva a bit, but it also made her feel pretty good. She was sweet to print her project out for me so that we could see it.

There was a farewell party for the Japanese students that have been visiting for two weeks. Both girls had wanted to attend, but Rhaevyn had already agreed to babysit for a lady in the ward. Aeva went and really enjoyed it. She helped set up with her Japanese teacher from last Semester (who is always sweet to ask about Rhaevyn). She also asked about Aeva's family and said we were welcome to come watch the rehearsals for the Cherry Blossom dance. One of the students was sitting all by himself so Aeva sat by him and they talked about their hobbies, what they were studying at college, and their families. She had her drawing book with her, which she is rarely without, and several students and teachers asked to look at it and complimented her on her drawings. One of the Japanese chaperones asked if he could take a picture with her and her artwork. I think that was a bit of boost for her. She came home with a big smile and said she wished the farewell could have gone on a bit longer. It was a great opportunity for her to practice her Japanese.

Both girls registered for the next quarter. They both got the classes they wanted except for ceramics. They both are on the waiting list, but they will not be in the same pottery class. We are hoping they make it in as this is a class that counts towards BYU credits.

Last Sunday Elsa made us dinner. She made Sloppy Jo's using Aeva's recipe. Here she is making the biscuits.

February is winding down,  March is about to start, the girls have a few weeks left of  winter quarter, and life is busy but good :)

Molly, Valentine's Day, Science Experiments, and Botox :P

Once again I've fallen behind and am trying to catch up with all the news over the past couple of weeks. This post may be choppy and out of order, but here goes:

I'll start with some pictures of Molly.

She loves to find the room that is the sunniest and take a rest from everyone. She usually cannot escape long before someone finds her.

 

 She also loves two of the blankets we have on the couch. If you are covered up with one she is sure to come and be your snuggle buddy.
















She also got a haircut. I got to sit in on the shampoo and cut. We are trying to determine if this (the grooming portion) is something we could possibly manage ourselves. I'm not convinced yet that we could, but we shall see. It was fascinating watching her transformation. After her blow dry she was so incredibly fluffy. My friend said that I wouldn't even recognize her when the cut was all done. She was right. Molly looks like a completely different dog. The younger kids kept asking if I was sure I didn't bring home the wrong dog.

Here are some pictures of arts and crafts that we've worked on lately:

Rhaevyn has been painting more rocks. Chris confiscated these two characters from Japanese movies: Totoro and No Face. He loves having them on his desk at work. The bottom picture featuring Magic Man and a quote were done by Aeva.

I  made some Valentine paper fortunes.

Myles made an owl Valentine for Sister Lee. I forgot to take a picture of it, but it was super cute and she loved it. Elsa made some heart ornaments she delivered to her friends Mari and Darian. She also made an owl for her pediatrician which she had an appointment with just after Valentine's Day.

Meg did not want to be left out, so I cut some hearts for her and let her glue them on some paper. She asked Chris to take her over to her friend KK's house so she could give her artwork to him.

Elsa is trying to let her hair grow out. She is currently fixated on the American Girl movie, Molly. The main character wears her hair in braids with ribbons, so Elsa wanted the same type of hairstyle. She is reading one of her favorite books, Frog and Toad.

Rhaevyn took some time out of her busy schedule of school, homework, and  piano practice to play Barbies with Meg and then to do a tea party with Elsa and Meg.

Myles had seen a recipe that our Primary President posted on Facebook and really wanted to try it. He made it one day for lunch. It is kind of like a burrito bowl. They turned out really yummy!

On one of our blustery days Myles made plastic bag kites for the little girls.

For Elsa's science lesson one day (two weeks ago) she drew our solar system to scale, sort of. Myles and Meg wanted to help. Our fingers were numb by the time we finished as it was sooooo cold outside. Our solar system didn't last long as it rained that night.

A couple of Mondays ago we came upon this beautiful bird, which I am guessing is a blue heron. We were killing time while waiting for Aeva to finish up in her Japanese dance class. We drove past it about four times. I wanted to stop or go slow, but there were cars behind me, so I kept turning around and driving past it again and again. The kids really enjoyed seeing it, and Myles had happened to bring the binoculars with us that day.

We had a very sweet and simple Valentine's Day:

Heart pancakes along with sausage and hash browns for breakfast.....

 

 

 ....homemade cards for the kids with their favorite NY seltzer.
 

 

Rhaevyn made a Valentine for Aeva and got her Jello.

 

 Chris got me a book about Queen Victoria, which I am loving. I made him my most favorite Valentine's card yet. I love the pictures I found, and I used quotes from novels/books written by authors such as Jane Austin, Sydney Smith, and a Sermon by Henry Ward Beecher.

Elsa has really gotten into cooking and baking. Yesterday she wanted to make banana cookies. Myles helped a bit with reading the directions with her, and Chris helped with the oven.

Myles got a great deal on some socks (thanks Oma) and went to Sister Lee's house to make a sock Monkey. His name is Hambo, and we think he turned out so cute. Myles had a lot of fun helping to make him.

 This was one of Myles's recent science experiments. We were studying the element Magnesium and studied the result of water and Epsom salt. 

 Hey, how do you like the results of my Botox treatment? My lips look so plump!

 Just kidding. I had some sort of allergic reaction. My lips were swollen for about a week and a half and just inside my mouth was fire engine red with little blisters. It was so completely painful. I was happy to have my normal looking and feeling lips back after about two weeks. I narrowed the culprits down to a new lip balm and/or some soup made with Italian sausage (which was pretty hot). I've been staying away from both :)

Ever my little helper when I am cooking:



Meg clowning around with Molly:

 

The girls have about a month left of winter quarter. They register for spring classes this next week. I cannot believe that Rhaevyn will be 18 soon, and I won't be in charge of her schooling any longer. I remember when she was five and I started homeschooling her. It feels as if that was just a few short years ago. I cannot fathom just how fast the past 13 years have gone. It is fun to see how she is busily planning for what classes she needs to take to work towards her degree/major. I just want to hang on to this time and slow down the sands of the hourglass. 

There have been some Japanese University students at the college for about a week. Aeva has gotten some practice in with speaking to them in her Japanese class. Rhaevyn was able to go for part of a welcome party that was held for the students. She has decided to take the next class of Japanese next quarter. Aeva will be on her third Japanese class. Friday I waited at the school for Rhaevyn while she took her sociology test. As she was coming to meet me in the main building the Japanese University students were going out. I had talked to them briefly while they were in the school bookstore. They seemed very nice. Anyway, Rhaevyn talked to one of the students briefly, and they exchanged emails. Her name is Nono. She seemed very nice and even waved to me (I was inside). We took turns bowing to each other. It was a neat experience. Aeva's Japanese dance class is going well, and we can't wait to see the dance she is working on at the festival in April. 

Our dishwasher has given up the ghost. Chris tried to fix it, but it had reached the point where he could not. We've had it since Myles was little, so I suppose it had given us some good years. While it has been fun to spend time talking and laughing while we all help wash, rinse, dry, and put dishes away I am looking forward to a new working dishwasher. We've tried to cut down on dishes by using one cup and paper plates in the meantime, but it still feels like the dishes somehow multiply mysteriously. I am grateful to live in an era where dishwashers exist!

This has been a humdinger of a week with such exciting events as several dr appointments, a ruined mattress, and a dog catastrophe on top of getting the girls to and from school and homeschooling the other two. Meg wet her bed Valentine's Day night because unfortunately she somehow made it to bed without her diapers. The mattress was a complete goner. Myles was good enough to sleep on the couch for several nights so that Meg could sleep in his bed. We made a trip to Ikea last night to get Meg a new mattress. The world is right now in the Lindsay home with all children in their appropriate beds. Molly ate a Philly cheese steak sandwich on Wednesday. I had to stop and ask myself "Do I really still want a dog????"It wasn't just that she ate the sandwich; it was the results of eating that sandwich that had me questioning. We have had to learn not to leave any type of morsel on the table and to make sure the benches are pushed in. Molly has learned to jump up on the benches to see if we have left any goodies on the table. Chris has caught her scooting out the chairs as well. Anyway, we hurriedly left the house Wednesday afternoon to drop some paperwork off at the high school so that the girls can register for spring quarter at the college. Then we dropped a book off at the library and proceeded back to the house. Rhaevyn had made lunch, but hadn't had time to eat because I announced that we had to get to the high school before the office closed and before I had to leave to take Aeva to her CGT class. She thought she'd finish it when we got home (in 15 min). It didn't occur to any of us that this would be a problem. Anyway, we get back home and find Molly under the Elsa's bed with poop at our front entry. I put her in her crate letting her know how very upset I was. She threw up in her crate. I had Myles take her out where she threw up again. I was trying to determine what was odd about her barf. I couldn't put my finger on it. I ran Aeva to her class, at which point we talked to Rhaevyn on the cell phone. Molly had gotten sick again, outside thankfully. Rhaevyn had realized that she had left her sandwich on the table. I'd like to think the dog learned her lesson while barfing up half of the sandwich undigested, but I am pretty sure she didn't. Oh well, hopefully we've learned our lesson about leaving food where the dog can reach it. I did announce to the kids that this is the first and last dog I will ever own. It's a good thing the kids love her so much or I am not sure she'd still have a home with us. My germaphobic anxieties were on overload that day. Honestly, at some point I just wanted to cry this week, but the kids ended up making me laugh which I am so grateful for :)

Okay, I think I am completely caught up on all the news and events of the Lindsay house.