Be it ever so humble...: February

Ahh, the month of love. Stores and windows adorned with red hearts, red roses, and red mylar baloons. You know, nothing quite spells love like a giant bouqet of shiny heart-shaped mylar balloons.

We had a wonderful Valentine's this year. We started our day out right with some heart shaped pancakes (please hold the pink dye in my pancakes. Messes with my mind. I keep thinking they should taste like strawberries...)

Some Valentine Surprises!

After a fun day, filled with class parties and bucket-loads of sugar, we had our annual "Dinner of Love." We enjoyed a wonderful pasta and Italian sausage dinner, complete with candles, sparkling apple-cider, and mustaches. How romantic.

We each went around the table and told what we loved most about each member of the family. I felt the love!

Joshua

Josh's basketball season ended this month (or so I thought. I felt a bit elated at his last game, only to find out that the coach wants to extend the season into Spring. Ahhh!) Cam and I have both had persuasive conversations with Josh, giving him reasons why he SHOULD NOT play ball again next year. (okay, we said he can play ball, just do JR. Jazz and NOT the competitive team)
Fact of the matter is, it's too far to drive every Saturday (each game is an hour drive), cost's too much in gas, and we would much rather be skiing as a family. However, Josh has held resolute and insists that he is going to practice all Summer long so he can make the A team next year. So we struck a deal. He is welcome to try out for the team but he is responsible to cover ALL costs: enrollment fee, shoes, etc. Talk about mean parents!
We'll see how bad he really wants this....

Daxton

Dax also finished his basketball season this month. He missed two games due to his sprained thumb, but was lucky enough to play in his last game. It is so fun to watch him play. His defense reminds me of a pesky fly. You keep swatting it away, but that fly is always in your face. Whomever he is defending will at first be incredibly annoyed, then try to psych him out and run all over the place, and by the end they are both laughing 'cause Dax sticks to that boy like glue! What a riot.

That's him passing in the ball

What a good looking team!

Dax's creation for the 100th day of school

Ella

This is what I love about Ella. She gets home from school one day, with an art project assignment. She was asked to use the 3 white circles and any other materials desired, to create a snowman. I was busy talking on the phone, or folding laundry, or something, and when I came downstairs she had created this all on her own:

Chips for hair

peanut for nose

cheerios for buttons and arms (and she tried to spell her name with them at the bottom)

peanut for nose

beef jerky for mouth

duct tape scarf

This girl LOVES berries

Posing with her new do. She does this on her own folks.

Amelie

Amelie LOVES to pretend. For example, if I say, "Amelie, please get your shoes on," she'll say, "Mom, I'm not Amelie. I'm Dora." Then she'll tell me that I'm Swiper and I need to stop taking her stuff. (reference Dora the Explorer if you're completely lost right now.)

Almost daily, she changes her clothes into whatever dress up suits her fancy. Here are a few shots that capture her imagination:

Here she is pretending to be "Mom."

"Going to get married in the temple."

Some fairy action.

A witch, shooting me with lasers coming out of her fingers.

Some Avenger time, Captain America.

Turning on some music for the ballerina.

Amelie also turned 3 years old this month! We had a great time, and even had cousins Jack and Kenny with us for the weekend to celebrate! Partay!!

We first started our day by driving to Lehi for Josh's last basketball game. Had to get myself and 6 kids to his game, which was an hour away by 9:00. We totally rocked it!

After the game, Nana and Grandpa Scott joined us for lunch at our house and had some cake and ice cream with us. Delicious! We opened some presents and had Amelie travel through the "spanking machine."

After Nana and Granpa left, the kids and I traveled to the Lego Art Exhibit in Park City.

Dax built a duck

Josh, a pyramid

Some of our favorite sculptures

Afterward, I surprised the kids by taking them to McDonalds for dinner, so they could play in the nasty playland.

(It's not nasty to them, so I say get over it..........yet strongly recommend bathing them when you get home. haha)

While driving home from the art exhibit, I told the kids we were going to McDonalds. Dax asks,

"Mom can we get happy meals?" (rare occurence)

"Yep, you all get a happy meal today!"

Dax says to his cousins,

"Guys, did you hear that?! Happy Meals! Let's hug!!"

All in all, a great birthday for Amelie.

Cam

SuperBowl Sunday. A great shot of "The Guys" at mom's house

I watched Jack and Kenny that weekend because Cam, Shera, and Jeff traveled together with some friends to spend a few nights in a yurt, and spend the days back country skiing. Cam said the snow was great, and aside from a real crummy night sleep, had a great time. (imagine spending the night in a tent full of smelly, snoring men. Fun!)

Cindy

Thanks to some amazing grandparents, (thank you Glen and Holly, Mom and dad!!) Cam and I were able to go away for three nights and meet some close friends, Tom and Jocelyn, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It was SO MUCH FUN. We filled our days snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, looking through shops, and just enjoying each other's smart alac company. We even traveled up the mountain to some natural hot springs. It was awesome.

Jocelyn with her man of steel. They share the same birthday.

Shaun White and I have the same hair.

Love birds.

Tom and Cam Cross Country Skiing.

Me and Jocelyn

Nice Shades

In the center of town, they held this amazing event. They truck snow in overnight, close down main street, and have kids race on skis, while being pulled on horseback. One of the cooler things I've seen.