Not So Impromptu Date

We needed to get the windshield on our van replaced so Jeremy and I planned to go birding while it was getting done. Last time we went to get vehicle maintenance done we had a spontaneous date. This one was planned.

It was a beautiful morning. There was some rain so we had to hide the camera from time to time but we enjoyed ourselves.

West Mountain was looking pretty in the morning light. 

I thought it would be fun to get a picture of the two of us with it in the background. My phone didn't want to cooperate so I turned it around but then couldn't line it up because I couldn't see us. Who remembers taking selfies with cameras back when they weren't even called selfies and you just took what you could get because there was no screen showing what the camera was seeing? I also remember doing that with film cameras so we didn't even see how they turned out until the pictures were developed.

Speaking of cameras, I realized I could turn the screen around on our camera camera but I got the angle wrong so I didn't even get West Mountain in the picture, just the Saratoga Springs area across the lake. Ha.

Neverthless we did enjoy ourselves, even if there were a lot of mosquitoes out. That made for happy warblers, though, for us to watch.

At one point, I started getting all excited and checked my picture of my calendar on my phone. I was able to let Jeremy know we were celebrating because that day, August 20, was World Mosquito Day. I wondered what was so good about mosquitoes and Jeremy let me know they are pollinators. Oh. Well, there are pollinators I prefer, like honey bees. It was World Honey Bee Day as well. Interestingly, I don't think we got any mosquito bites even though we left the bug spray in the car. Heh.

Since we were by the lake, there were plenty of pelicans flying around. I love pelicans. At one point we watched a snowy egret land and managed to get a picture of the egret, a great blue heron, and some pelicans all in the same picture. That was fun.

Once the van was done, I dropped Jeremy off to pick it up then headed home to pick Nichole up to go to a Relief Society/Young Women combined activity. We had brunch and got to make some little flower arrangements to take home.

I didn't get a picture but later that day to celebrate World Honey Bee Day, we had honey glazed carrots with our dinner. 

It was a busy day.

Random Acts of Kindness Day

February 17 was Random Acts of Kindness Day. It was a chance to look back on some random acts of kindness I've experienced over the last few months.
One evening, there was a knock on our door. When we answered it, there was a group of young women from the ward with a baby blanket in their hands for our little baby (they also gave Nichole a ride home). One side of the blanket has green owls on a blue background. On the other side it has blue owls on a green background. It's a nice big size and so soft. Thanks, young women.

Our kids have been great at entertaining Jet from time to time so I can do things like make dinner. I don't always have to ask them. They just do it.

Jr. is even able to get Jet to sleep sometimes. Bounce baby with foot while reading book. Talent.

On Random Acts of Kindness Day, we watched an episode of Random Acts on BYU TV.
After the boys went to bed, I found Nichole starting to sketch a picture of Jet.

I guess random acts of kindness revolve around baby this year.

My Excellent Young Woman

Recently Jeremy and I were able to support Nichole at Young Women in Excellence. This was nice because neither of us were able to last year. Jeremy was out of town and I was very ill. Fortunately, some nice people in our ward took Nichole to and from the activity that evening (and helped the kids and me out while I was sick).

This year, it was a nice evening that we were able to go to. Nichole was asked to help with the program, to do a picture based on the theme. John 14:15. "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

This is how the program turned out.

She explained it this way. The heart is obvious since it's, "If ye love me..." then she said, "I just did a girl doing various commandments like serve, pray, read your scriptures. That kind of thing."

I'm glad the Young Women president asked her to help out in that way. It's a way for her to learn to use her talents to bless others as we are all asked to do.

And what a blessing that girl is to us.

Catching Up- February

Let's see how much of February I can remember.  Pictures help... and our Calendar of Celebration. Let's see.

Remember how on January 14 I posted about building giant balloon bugs for the Butterfly Biosphere?
First of all, here are finished pictures of the bugs:

 Blue morph butterfly, above and below

 Flying dung beetle, above and below

 Ants and centipede

 Praying mantis

 
Then finally in February, our family made it to the Butterfly Biosphere as a Family Home Evening activity.

For Valentine's Day, the kids wanted to do homemade cards for the kids at school.  This is how they turned out:

Jr. decided to decorate his Valentine box with Doctor Who references.

Jeremy also made me chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine's and we had heart-shaped pizza for dinner.

Then we sent the kids to bed and thanks to the Orem Library, we had a blind date with a movie. It turned out to be a movie Jeremy had never seen before and I hadn't seen since my childhood.

And for all those who were celebrating Singles Awareness Day?

Get it?  Get it?

For National Almond Day on February 16 we had salad with almonds. Yumm.

Jeremy and I also got out birding that day.  We went to several spots and got good looks at several types of birds such as a hermit thrush and some Lewis's woodpeckers.

On Pluto Day, February 18, we went out into the cold at Antelope Island.

Jr. Jr. had a presentation at school in February about George Washington Carver and got to dress up like him. Coincidentally, his presentation was on February 22, which is George Washington's birthday.

Jeremy's birthday was in February.  To celebrate, we went with Utah County Birders to the Delta Snow Goose Festival.  Like last year, we found them foraging in fields.  Unlike last year, we were able to park right next to the fields. Beautiful close look at the geese, and fortunately, the geese didn't drop anything on anyone (our van was not so lucky).

Again we stopped on the way home for cake and balloon geese.

The day we went was also February 23, National Rationalization Day. Yes, we rationalized going on the trip and buying the good Costco cake.

February 25 was Zeppo Marx's birthday.  We had duck soup for dinner. Well, it was chicken soup, but you know, they're both birds. I can't remember if we watched that Marx Brothers movie or not that day but we did watch it sometime near that day.

Nichole had New Beginnings in February.  They were doing a kind of values pageant where several of the girls were representing the young women's values.  They wore the color of the value and got to answer questions as if they were contestants at a pageant.
Nichole was Miss Virtue. They had the girls go early to get their hair done and put tiaras on.  It was fun.

Lucky got a few one on one outings with his parents in February.  One time, he went to Costco and got a churro with Dad.  Another time, he played at the mall with Mom.

Well, that is a lot of what happened in February. On to March.