Taste of Vegas

Saturday evening JJ and I got dressed up for the chamber of commerce "Taste of Vegas" night.  It was fun that it was around valentines so we counted it as our valentines date.  We are loving that Lucy is old enough to babysit.  It makes going out so much easier and cheaper.  We pay Lucy but not nearly what we would have paid a babysitter.  We had a good time enjoying all the food from local restaurants.  We had some favorites and can't want to go eat at the actual restaurant to see what else is on their menu.  After eating they opened up the tables to gamble with our fake money.  They give everyone a few thousand dollars to start with. We sat with the Hunters who we know from church.  We got a fun table playing blackjack.  We liked our dealer who for the most part made sure we won.  He was very generous and JJ and I made some good money, to bad it wasn't real. We used the  money we made to buy raffle tickets to try to win one of the gift baskets.  They also had a live band, dancing, a magician and a fun photo booth.  We had a great evening, it was fun to get dressed up and spend the evening together!  

Happy Valentines Day!

Nolan had his preschool Valentines party the day before Valentines.  He was so excited to pass out his valentines to his friends in his class.  They played some cute games and made a valentine craft.  I was glad I was able to go be with him, he is always so happy to see me.  It is cute to see him experience things like passing out Valentines and figuring out what each holiday means.   

 Valentines Day was a beautiful warm and almost spring like day.  It was so nice to have a break from the cold weather.  Nolan and I decided to get out and enjoy it.  We went on a bike ride together on our neighborhood trail.  My bike is hung up in the garage so I rode Lucy's bike, it was a little small but worked fine for our little ride.  Getting out with him made my day, it was easily one of my favorite parts of the day.  We even got off our bikes and went down by the creek to look for a rock.   

 While Nolan was at preschool I was able to go up to the school for Garrett's class party.  I haven't been able to go to any of his class parties because Nolan is usually home.  Garrett was so excited I was able to come.  They had already passed out their valentines and voted on their favorite box.  I helped at one of the stations.  I got put in chare of the candy bracelet making.  It was fun to be able to visit with his classmates as they made their bracelets.  They each had nice things to say about Garrett.  He was so happy I was able to come and it was neat to see him interact with his class. 

I made some chocolate covered strawberries for JJ's office, they really liked them!  I made some for us too and the kids liked them.

 JJ got me some beautiful roses, it has been a while since I have had fresh flowers in the house.  I love it and they sure brighten up my house.

 

 

 For dinner we made personal pizzas, the kids each made their own.  Nolan's is the one with all the olives and Garrett's is a smiley face.  They were simple, fun and yummy.  I did a scavenger hunt for the kids and at the end they got their valentines.  They always look forward to a little something from us.  We relaxed and hung out together that evening.  We did some come follow me and then watched a show together.   

Ice Storm

I am glad we decided to get out on Saturday.  We had some ice come through the area early Sunday morning.  When you looked out the window it looked like everything was wet but it was actually frozen.  JJ's meetings were canceled Sunday morning and they were going to give it some time before making the call for church.  I was suppose to speak that day so I was worried about if they would still have church.  My Dad sent me a text telling me how bad the roads were and told me to stay home. I told him I had to speak and he then called me.  He told me everything was covered in a sheet of ice and he urged me to stay home.  JJ got some shoes on to go outside and see how bad it was.  He almost fell immediately.  He came back in and said we weren't going anywhere. We enjoyed making a big breakfast and taking it easy.  We spent the day relaxing, playing together, watching a movie and doing our come follow me lesson.  It was really nice to have a day stuck at home.  

Daniel Boone Home, Maple Sugar

This winter has been long and cold with lots of snow, ice and cold temperatures.  Saturday morning JJ worked and we worked together trying to get the house clean.  JJ came home at lunch and I told him we need to get out of the house.  It might be cold but we need to bundle up and get some fresh air.  There was a free maple sugar festival at the Daniel Boone home so we headed out there.  It wasn't to cold, the ground was a little muddy but we tried to stay out of the mud the best we could.  The kids ran around and loved exploring.  They had some free mini pancakes with maple syrup.  We watched 2 different demonstrations.  The first one was how they tap the trees.  The second one was how they boil the syrup down. In between walking to the exhibits we walked around and looked at the little home.  It was the perfect little outing and the fresh air was good for everyone. That evening JJ and I decided to go out last minute.  It was glorious to leave the kids with Lucy and head out together for the evening.  The kids had been bickering and on my nerves a lot that day an getting away for a short while was perfect.  We put Lucy in charge of making them dinner and then they watched a movie.  We had a coupon to a restaurant at the mall so we decided to go there.  We ate a nice dinner there and then stopped at a few stores.  It was so nice to shop by our self and not have all the kids with us.  They don't really enjoy running errands and shopping.  Plus it was nice to be able to have a conversation with JJ that wasn't interrupted by the kids.      

Solo Concert

This semester I participated in the Solo concert put on by the community college.  I choose not to do it last year because of the time commitment.  We received our music and rehearsed as an orchestra for 3 weeks.  We had 8 piece we were learning and would be accompanying soloists.  Some of the songs came easy and others were tricky to learn.  There were only two second violins which made us feel the need to really nail our parts.  I worked hard learning them the best I could.  It was a short amount of time for me to get them perfect.  I knew the parts that I would need to be perfect at and practiced those.  The week of the concert we rehearsed every evening for two and a half hours along with the soloist.   It was a big time commitment but the rehearsals were very productive and helped me a lot to hear it all come together.  Friday evening we had our concert.  My parents came as well as JJ and the kids.  We were in a different auditorium which wasn't the best for acoustics but my family liked that for the first time they were actually able to see me play.  The soloists were amazing and it was a wonderful concert.  I was thankful for my stand partner who came from the philharmonic to come play with me.  He was much better at counting and kept the beat really well.  He also played out in parts that were easy to get lost.  I was very pleased with how I played and the music was very enjoyable to learn.  My family commented that this was their favorite concert so far that I have done.  We had a reception with cookies and punch after, that is my kids favorite part.  I am thankful for the support of my family.  Not only in coming to the concert but during the week as I was gone each night.  I am also glad my parents came and supported me, it always means a lot to know someone in the audience is there for me.     

Lately I have felt like I do so much running around!  Friday I felt like I did a lot of running around.  Nolan and I got up and went to the gym, we came home for a snack and I finished my grocery list.  We then went grocery shopping, which felt crazy and unorganized to me.  If Nolan is not in the cart he runs ahead or behind me and it is hard to keep track of him.  He loves to be "helpful" and looks at everything.  He is so busy!  As I was bagging the groceries I remembered I forgot to grab some almond milk.  He said I will go get it.  Before I knew it he took off running to get almond milk by himself.  I quickly wet after him leaving my cart and all my food I was bagging.  He was running back with the correct milk in his hand.  I had to talk with him about running off like that when I am not with him.  We hurried and got the food home, I showered and we quickly went over to Lucy's school.  She was having a very unformal band concert.  They were playing a few songs for the 5th graders who are getting ready to decide their electives for next year.  Lucy was thankful and excited that Nolan and I came.  I am not able to get up to very many things so I know it means a lot to the kids when I do come.  Only a few parents came and Nolan ran around the gym during the assembly but no one seemed to really care.  They played a few songs and Lucy did a great job.  I am glad we were able to make it up there and see her.     

Glasses for Grandma

My Grandma came in to see JJ for an eye exam a little while ago.  It was fun to see her and then this week she came in to pick out some new glasses.  She wanted me to come in and help her pick some out.  It was so cute to see her try on some new glasses and want to pick something stylish and fashionable.  She told me that my uncle told her to go all Hollywood and pick something fun out.  She kept going back and forth between two different frames.  She went with some really cute ones and she is excited about them.  I drove her back home after we were finished.  She was really worn out from running errand with my Dad the day before.   I was thankful that I was able to visit with her in the office and then on the way back to her apartment.  I dropped her off and didn't go inside.  She was ready to lay down for a nap and I needed to get home to get some things done before picking Nolan up from preschool.  It really amazes me how well she gets around at 94!

Story Time

Monday morning Nolan and I went to the library for another Mr. Rogers neighborhood story time.  We had spent so much time at home the week before it was good to have something to get out and do.  We talked about differences in story time.  We read books about being different and then watched a clip from Mr. Rogers about how they make crayons.  Nolan drew a picture of himself and then of me, we talked about how we look different.  He got a crayon to take home, it was lots of different colors.  We played on the computer and picked out some new books.  As we were checking out we saw a table with a DIY valentines craft.  We sat down and did one together.  It was also the 100th day of school and Lucy's grade took a picture outside with the big sign.  She is on the far right in a grey shirt squatting down.  

 

Walk at Brommelsiek

We had freezing weather all week, the kids had two days off school.  One morning the temperature was -5 and felt like -20.  Then on the weekend it was beautiful.  It was so strange how drastic the weather changed.  We were in the mid 60's on Saturday and it felt like spring.  It was so nice after so much cold weather.  JJ took Nolan to a birthday party and I took Lucy and Garrett to the park.  I had signed up for a walk activity.  It was a winter walk but the park ranger joked how it felt more like a spring walk.  Since it had been so cold and then warm the trails were really muddy.  We did most of our walk on the paved parts and then did some in the woods.  We all wore shoes and clothes that could get muddy so we were prepared.  They had some hot chocolate at the end of the activity.  We have been to that park a million times and done the walks there.  It was still nice to get out and do something.  We were thankful for the piles of snow that were still in the parking lots.  We were able to get our shoes cleaned off pretty good before heading home.

 

Happy Birthday Courtney

We celebrated Courtney's birthday a few days early with her.  She has been in town for a work conference.  We had a pizza party and played ping pong.  It has been a long time since we have had the ping pong table out.  I am not my kids have ever played.  Courtney and Mom made a yummy chocolate cake from scratch, it was so good.  Its fun that even though Courtney has moved to Utah she still gets to come home often for work.  It was fun to see everyone and hang out, my kids always have so much fun with Christy's kids.