Spirit Week at UCAS - Fan Day

Terrence (photo bombing in the background), Heidi, Melanie Marie, Nathan, Savanna

Savanna, Marie, Melanie

Long Line of Love

Our family Valentines Dinner is such a big tradition that we wanted to do it when all of the kids would be home.  We choose President's Day weekend because Tyler came home from Logan. Warren and I cooked the food.  

Melanie and Marie took charge of decorating the table including setting out the china and making the dessert cups. They even made place cards for everyone.

When they realized that there wasn't much room on the table for the food, the girls dressed up as waitresses and helped pass the food around the table. The girls got some Valentines themed socks and everyone got a box of chocolates. All of my children got a "Long Line of Love" book with wedding pictures of their parents, grandparents and a few great-grandparents. We had a good time reading those love stories during dinner.  Then the kids decided to play love songs in the background.

 Appetizer: shrimp and green salad

Main course: Steak, green beans, red potatoes, sweet potatoes

Dessert: fresh berries and pudding

To Drink: Raspberry Lemonade with fresh Raspberries floating in the cup

 After dinner the big boys volunteered to hand wash and put away the China.

The girls looked through the scrapbook I made of pictures from when Warren and I were dating and our wedding. The kids were surprised to see how many pictures we have of our first date. I guess we felt we were starting something good and needed to get it well documented.

I'm so glad to be sealed to my loved ones forever and grateful for the "Long Line of Love" passed on to me from my parents and grandparents.

Valentines Day 2017

OK, so Valentines Day is a big holiday at our house. This surprises our exchange students because it is not a big holiday in Europe. I admit we celebrate big at our house, probably bigger than most Americans. Sunday evening Melanie and Marie decorated heart shaped sugar cookies to hand out to their friends at school. They had fun writing personal message on them.

I took a late start at work so that I could stay home and make heart shaped egg in toast for the kid's breakfast. I also surprised them by decorating the house with red and white streamers and cut out glitter hearts.

Melanie and Graigry were both really looking forward to Valentine's Day this year because they both had someone special to celebrate with.  Graig spend a good amount of time crafting his gift for his girlfriend, Andrea, and he was quite proud of how it turned out.  Melanie's boyfriend, broke up with her the day before Valentine's day but she determined it wouldn't be a sad day. She put on her Queen of hearts costume and made it a good day for others as she handed out Valentines at school and to some of her favorite boy friends around Lehi. It didn't hurt that she ended up with a lunch date for an ice cream cone with a good boy friend.

This year we will do our traditional "Red" dinner twice.  This is the small version where we ate Lasagna, rolls, and pudding/berry parfaits for dessert. Melanie invited her friend Cole to come and join us for dinner. We will have another dinner with all of our kids on Sunday evening.

Run Around Towne

UCAS decided to do a 5K fund raiser for student activities and senior scholarships. I was a little surprised when Melanie wanted to participate. (She isn't usually much of a runner.) I have been doing some running and so I was game to participate.  She and I got up early on Saturday morning and ran laps around the upper floor of the Provo Town Center Mall that we were told equaled a 5K. The PTA had done a lot of work to make it fun including a DJ playing loud upbeat music to run along to and prizes for the winners of the different age categories. I was proud to beat out the other two ladies in my age category who were walkers and bring home a first place ribbon. Melanie had fun spending my money at the silent auction.  It was a good morning. Melanie came home and slept all afternoon and into the evening.