Grandma and Grandpa Come For a Visit

My parents came for a visit... finally. They wanted to come last year for a big family reunion to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary but it wasn't safe then. Now things are calming down and people are getting vaccinated and they were able to make the trip. Yay. I love my parents.

 

They were here to talk about Nichole starting to drive.

They didn't go to any concerts but Nichole and Jr. played violin and cello for them.

They had lunch with us then dinner to celebrate National Rotisserie Chicken Day. We had BBQ pizza which everyone likes. We also had salad and french bread.

 

Jet had fun with his other grandparents while they were here and played with them. This time Jet went to my dad and had him pick him up and give him food. Then he played with Grandpa for a little while then fell asleep.

We had a really great time when Grandma and Grandpa came to visit. I'm so glad it worked out. I'm also glad they finally had a chance to meet Jet. He had fun with them as did the rest of us.

Nichole's Birthday

We celebrated Nichole's birthday in July! Since we had to wait for a couple presents to come in the mail/UPS, on her birthday Lucky made her a couple sculptures out of LEGOs. Dragons. One had Captain America riding it. One had Spider-man. That is a sweet boy thinking of his sister like that. He made sure she had something to open (he wrapped them in a blanket) besides cards on her birthday.

She played "Happy Birthday" to herself with the full-sized violin she and Jeremy picked up on July 7, Father and Daughter Take a Walk Day. They took a walk from the van into the music store. The 3/4 size violin wasn't cutting it anymore.

When she blew out the candles on her cake, she mentioned how she was able to blow out all but one in one breath where last year she had been able to blow out all of them. There was one more candle this year.

When we got toward the end of the day, it was getting too late to let Nichole stay up and watch a movie, even though it was her birthday still.
Jeremy: Your birthday is almost over. You'll no longer have any leverage.
Lucky: That's right, Nichole. You won't have any loveage {evil laugh}.
Everyone: Ha Ha Ha Ha.

Celebrations Without Pictures

Let me tell you about some recent celebrations without pictures. June 27 was Orange Blossom Day. June 28 was Paul Bunyan Day but I wrote it on the calendar wrong. I put it on June 27. Silly me. So we celebrated both of those holidays with orange juice and pancakes... or flapjacks. Jeremy and I of course quoted Groundhog Day. We were making orange juice... "and some flapjacks. Is it too early for flapjacks?" That's funny because it turned out it was early by a day. Ha Ha.
July 8 is Video Game Day. I didn't let the kids play video games because they didn't get all their chores done but I didn't put up a fuss when they watched Jeremy play. I just looked back at my blog from 2014 when Lucky was a baby. On Video Game Day that year, we listened to video game music. Guess what we did this year on Video Game Day. Listened to video game music. Nichole also played Legend of Zelda music on the violin.
So yeah. We've still been celebrating but I don't always get pictures of our celebrations.

French Dining Experience

Back in March, Jr. was supposed to go on a field trip with other French students to a French restaurant in Sandy. Unfortunately, it was postponed and later canceled altogether as things in the state were shut down and the students completed the school year online. Jr. of course was disappointed. He put in some of his own money to go on this field trip (luckily it was refunded) and he really wanted to try escargot.
Jeremy and I really wanted to let him have a French dining experience, even if it ended up being in our own home. We contacted his French teacher even before school was out and she was so helpful in giving us ideas of what we could do for that experience. She suggested decorations, phrases we could say in French to him, food ideas including recipes for a four or five course meal. It took us some time to plan it all out and find a day when we could do it, but it eventually came together and was a nice surprise for him.
We got the other kids involved because it's always a fun idea to do service like this for a family member. We gave Nichole some sheet music for "La Vie en Rose" so she could serenade him on the violin while he ate. She and Jr. Jr. and Lucky all colored papers to look like French flags which we hung up along with Christmas lights. We also added to the atmosphere with a YouTube video of Paris ambience. There was a carousel with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Jr. didn't realize what we were doing cooking in the kitchen all day (Jeremy did most of the work. My hero). It was June 13, Kitchen Klutzes of America Day. Good thing we were making French food.
The other kids knew what was happening but only let on that we were doing something for the library Summer Reading Program (not a lie- we were able to use what we did for one or two of the library activities, even if it wasn't specifically the reason we did it). The boys stayed back in their room playing on Jr.'s device while we finished up preparations. Then we told everyone to get dressed up in their church clothes, Jr. thinking we were still just doing something for a library activity. Bwah ha ha.

Jr. Jr. and Lucky brought Jr. out to where we greeted him and brought him to his seat. Nichole was right there playing "La Vie en Rose" and various other pieces for him.

And he got his five course meal. He ate just a little bit of each (Jeremy commented how he had given him American size portions so it wasn't surprising that he didn't eat everything) with the boys running in to check on him every few minutes to take away one plate and bring him another. They were having a blast. Jet did well, too, not being the center of attention for once. Jr. Jr. did entertain him and I think he was also entertained just watching everyone run around.

Here's how the meal went:
Appetizer: Escargot. Yes, we did. Jeremy found canned snails at Walmart and learned how to prepare them (with a lot of butter and garlic and herbs). We decided not to order shells to put them in, which worked fine because of the brioche bread that turned into a crouton with each snail.

Soup or salad: Salade niçoise with lettuce, egg, tuna, potatoes, green beans, and olives (Jeremy forgot to put the tomatoes on. Shhh. Jr. didn't know).

Main course: Poulet au cidre. Chicken with onions and apples in apple cider with rice pilaf on the side.

Bread and cheese: Homemade french bread/baguette with Boursin cheese.

Dessert: Chocolate mousse.

It turned out well. Jr. appreciated it and was definitely surprised when we served him escargot. He had to ask a couple times if we were serious when we told him they were actual snails.
He also had to deal with us doing things a little more informally (just a little) with the boys running around and me snapping pictures all over the place. "Souvenir photo, monsieur?"
We may have been informal, but Jr. took it pretty seriously and he was so polite. He knew so much more than we did. They had gone over etiquette in his class and so he knew how the place setting should have been. He also let his brothers know how to tell if he was done with a course or if he was just pausing. He also knew how to eat his bread with a fork (I had no idea. My son is so cool).

At the end, I also wanted to get a picture of "the staff."

It was a really good evening. There were plenty of leftovers (including escargot- go figure. Some of us did eat a whole snail each. Not bad. Just don't think too much about what it really is).

 This is me thinking too much about it even before I took a bite.

Thanks to all the family members who helped to make this a neat experience for Jr.
And thanks to his teacher who helped us figure out how to put something like this together. "Merci, Madame Snell."

Joy Is...

Listening to your children play a duet together on their stringed instruments.

Honors Orchestra

Recently, Nichole was invited to participate in a district honors orchestra. She was given sheet music to practice on her own for a couple months then got together with everyone else for two afternoons/evenings of rehearsal. Then they put on a concert. Jeremy and Jr. went to it.
Because they did a good job, they were given an extra piece of music that they learned in 40 minutes. Then they performed it also at the concert. Impressive.

Way to go, Nichole. Keep up the good work with your violin playing.

A Day Off

I told you it was crazy busy.  We've been celebrating and I've been taking care of sick kids.  Now I'm blogging.  Here are some more things we've done:
December 11 was International Mountain Day.  We made a mountain of grilled cheese sandwiches and went to see Nichole's orchestra concert.  Nichole took a challenge and practiced her violin every day for 100 days straight and was recognized along with several others during the concert.  She was also awarded a candy bar for her efforts.

Some of her Young Women leaders came to watch the concert to support her, too.  That was very nice of them.

December 13 was Cocoa Day.  We celebrated Cocoa Day (Observed) the next night by having our annual Polar Express Party.  Jeremy was very entertaining with his reading (it wasn't exactly as written), we had cocoa with peppermint ice cream in it and whipped cream on top, and I couldn't stay awake through the whole movie.

If you give Nichole a medium...

December 17 was National Maple Syrup Day.  We ate pancakes with maple syrup.

Other things we've done:
We also celebrated Lucky's birthday.

"Boo hoo.  There's a KAT licking my birthday cake."  

Points to you if you get the reference.

I went with some friends to see a local Christmas village put together by people in our ward.  Wow.  And wow.  They have a whole room the size of a garage with villages on tables along the edges.  Lots of lights.  Different themes.  And a lot of movement.  It's not just a bunch of houses and things that just sit there.  There are amusement park rides that move.  Ice skaters glide over ponds.  It is awesome.

Their outside is just as festive.  I only have a daytime picture.  It's all lit up at night.

I also went to a Relief Society cookie exchange.  I got to sit around eating cookies and chatting with other women.  So nice.  My family was happy when I brought home cookies from it as well.

Then yesterday, I took a day off.  After being up and down all night with a sick child, Jeremy let me sleep in while he got the other kids off to school.  Then he sent me off to go birding for the day while he took care of the sick child.  I needed it.  It was very relaxing.  After doing so much and taking care of so many people, sick or otherwise, it was nice to get out in nature and have some me time. 

After that rejuvenating day, now I can face what needs to be done again.  Thanks again, Jeremy.  You're the best.

Catching Up on the Last Five Months- 5

Let's talk about September.

September 1 was Johann Pachelbel's birthday, so we listened to Pachelbel's Canon.

Jeremy was still out of town at his fair during Labor Day weekend so Saturday the kids and I packed up and went to Idaho to spend the weekend with him.  Since he was in the same city our friends live, the kids and I visited with them Saturday evening, stayed overnight in the motel with Jeremy, then we all went to church with our friends on Sunday.  We also spent time going on a walk with our friends and playing games.

Nichole needed to get violin practice in since she is doing a 100 days challenge (practice every day for 100 days straight) so our friends let her play at their house.

Monday, Jeremy went back to work and the kids and I drove back to Utah.  That was a nice weekend.

When Jeremy got back from his fair, we surprised him with a belated Father's Day gift since June was so crazy, we didn't do anything but go to church with him that day.
We got him a new bowl and had the kids trace around their hands to replace his old bowl from Christmas 2015.  After time the hands had faded and one day while we were doing dishes the bowl slipped and broke.  He was happy with his replacement.

September 4 was Eat an Extra Dessert Day... so we did.

September 6 was Read a Book Day.  We definitely did.
September 18 was National Cheeseburger Day.  We ate cheeseburgers.

September 19 was Talk Like a Pirate Day.  Sadly, we missed our tradition of dressing up in a balloon pirate costume and handing out balloon swords at Thanksgiving Point this year.  Sigh.  It just didn't work out.
We did eat pirate-themed food for dinner, though.  We had pirate map pizza, goldfish crackers, chocolate cannon balls, pretzel peg legs, root beer barrels, golden nuggets and chocolate coins, and orange juice to ward off scurvy.

September 20 was National Punch Day.  I made sure the kids had Tropical Punch Kool-Aid Jammers in their lunches.

September 22 was the Autumnal Equinox.  Our family got out in nature for HawkWatch migration day at Squaw Peak.  We didn't make it over to Strawberry Reservoir to see the salmon this year.  But we did make fluffernutter sandwiches to eat.  We'd been wanting to so we finally did.  The round about way to rationalize it is that in the Fablehaven series, there is a character who makes another character a fluffernutter sandwich.  Magic boundaries are changed a bit on solstices and equinoxes so... why not have fluffernutter sandwiches on the equinox.

After spending all morning at Squaw Peak with other birders, Jeremy and I took a tip from one of them and went to see a new life bird- long-eared owl.  That bird is long, not just its ears.

Earlier that morning I told Jr. Jr. that there is a myth that on the Autumnal Equinox, you can stand an egg on its end without it falling over.  Then I demonstrated.

Jr. Jr. and I decided to balance like an egg, too.

That afternoon, I tried to show the other kids but it wouldn't work.  So apparently at only certain times on the equinox can you stand an egg up on its end.  Hmm.

September 22 is also Hobbit Day, so that night, Nichole started watching the first of the Hobbit movies with Jeremy and me.

 
September 27 was Crush a Can Day.  I did.

September 29 was Happy Goose Day.  It made me a happy goose to go on a date with Jeremy to see birds up at Squaw Peak then hike a bit in the Fall colors at Big Springs.

In September, I also got to go to another girls' night and see some friends back in Pleasant Grove I hadn't seen in a while.  That was nice.

Lucky and I had some bonding time at a park then he and ZZ had some bonding time.

The Orem Library had a Chinese Moon Festival the kids and I went to.  They had activities and had a live video chat with a NASA scientist.  Lucky even got to ask a question, "Is the moon hot or cold?" which the scientist answered.  At the end when the moon came up, we each got to see it through a telescope.

And here we go again.  "Mom, may I make brownies?"  But Nichole can't just make brownies, she also has to decorate them.  She used a toothpick to draw a picture of a dragon from a book she's read.

That girl loves dragons.  Youth activity- dragons.

And when Jr. had scouts (where he received his Webelos and Arrow of Light awards), Nichole helped him with the activity where they were making superhero capes.

Nichole is not the only creative one.  This is what happens when Jr. does dishes.

I knew I had plenty to talk about September.

I'll catch up on October later.