Artist's Interpretation

Yes, this lovely artwork is still on the bedroom wall, and it'll probably stay there for another two weeks--until finals are all over. Since Heidi has shared her interpretation of the piece with me a number of times now, I thought I'd pass it along to all of you:

You probably can't read it because it's so small, but I have highlighted for you the snake (Sssssss) and the cow (Moo).

Random

A couple weeks ago Lizzie started doing this thing where she has to jump over all the cracks in the sidewalk, parking lots, etc.

Strangely enough, I remember doing that when I was in elementary school... But I didn't teach it to her. Wonder how she picked that up at such a young age?

Another "Snowman"

Lizzie has been really into snowmans lately. (I blame it on Curious George, who tried to make a summer snowman--first out of crushed ice, then mud, and then sand.)

Anyway, here's one that she made this morning:

It's made of English muffins, "chocolate" (whole wheat) bread, the bread bag clip, and the top from an empty albuterol vial. Nice.

Finals Prep

Scott: You can't sue unless you have standing.

Liz: Okay.

Scott: And being a taxpayer does not give you standing.

Liz: Okay.

Apparently Lizzie makes a great study buddy. Ha ha.

Lizzie's "Snowman"

Can you see the arm and the hat? And she kept talking about adding a carrot for a nose.
(The pile of clean laundry in the background has nothing to do with the snowman.)

Beautiful Weather

The weather has been beautiful this week, so we've spent some time playing outside. Yesterday we played in the backyard (below), and today we went to the park. We are looking forward to spring / summer!

Lizzie tells me, "I'm digging a tunnel."

"We're swinging!"

No Lifting, Twisting, or Bending

So with Mommy being 34- (or 35?) weeks pregnant--we've lost count at this point--it's pretty difficult to lift, twist, or bend. Reminds me of Elder Ballard's conference talk from April 2008:

"Brothers and sisters, recently my wife, Barbara, had back surgery and could not lift, twist, or bend. Consequently, I have done more lifting, twisting, and bending than ever before—and it has made me more appreciative of what women, and especially you mothers, do every day in our homes."

I highly recommend the whole talk, especially to Sherry and Nori (two of my favorite young moms)--since Elder Ballard focused his remarks on young mothers.

Anyway, when Mommy can't bend--and when Daddy is at the law school until midnight or later just about every night--this is what the toy room ends up looking like:

And this is what it looked like AFTER Mommy's feeble attempts to pick up.

Lizzie was a big helper and picked up her toys one day this week, but Mommy hasn't figured out yet how to get her to do it again. (The girls are used to Mommy helping them clean up their toys.)

Let's Go Fly a Kite

On Monday for family night, we took a walk to the park down the street and thought we'd try to fly one of the kites that the girls got for Easter. Problem was, the Easter Bunny got the kite at the dollar store, so it wasn't the best quality. The wind pretty much just shredded the thing. So the girls ended up climbing and picking flowers instead:

We still have one more kite, so maybe we'll try again another day.

Princess of Star Athlete?

(Probably both.)

Lizzie's caption for this picture: "Lizzie's a princess and playing for the team."

This dress was recently retired (because it's been ripped and mended a few too many times)
and is now designated for playing dress up.

Our Little Tigger

Heidi loves to bounce and jump. Today she bounced so much that her pants fell down:

Big Helper

Liz is getting old enough now that she's actually pretty helpful--at least she tries to be. Today she helped Mommy fold some clothes, and she tied Daddy's shoes for him:

Outings with Lizzie are easier now--because she is more responsive to commands--but now Heidi is in the hard "Terrible Twos" phase. (Sigh.)

Oh Heidi

Both girls have taken up golf lately. They always have to put on a baseball cap whenever they play. 

The girls love to empty out the toybox and then climb inside.

This one's hard to see, but Heidi drew this lovely picture on the wall above Mommy and Daddy's bed. She was only out of sight for a couple minutes, and she managed to swipe a Sharpie from off the tall dresser and color on the wall, two pillow cases, and a copy of Screwtape Letters. (It'll come off the wall, but it's going to take some serious scrubbing.)

Our First Trip to the Movie Theater

After Scott turned in his policy paper on Friday, we all went to the movies to celebrate. We saw "Wreck It Ralph." It was the girls first time at a movie theater, and they did a great job.

Misc.

Yet another one of Lizzie's fashions. (She looks like she's trying to strangle herself, huh?
And her boots ended up on the wrong feet.)

Heidi was playing hide and seek--under the piano bench, covered by a blanket.

Trip to Amherst

On Thursday, Emily and the girls took an impromtu trip to Amherst, Ohio (about three hours roundtrip). Apparently, Amherst is the nearest city to do emissions testing--which is required to renew our Arizona vehicle registration. (To switch title and registration to Ohio is a very expensive and lengthy process.) After we passed the emissions test, we went to McDonald's so the girls could eat and get their wiggles out.

 

Easter Dress

I wanted to get a really cute picture of the girls in their matching Easter dresses (compliments of Grandma Miller), but this was the best I could do. We'll have to try again another day. :o)

By the way, Easter dinner was a success: ham, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, green salad, fruit salad, deviled eggs, and rolls. It was nice enough outside that we ate out on the deck. We had the missionaries over, plus one of the sisters Scott home teaches and her son.