Tortillas, Tissue, Tulle, and Trouble

I was going to start with Tortillas, but when I went to get the tortilla pictures off the camera, I found a bunch of junk pics and realized that Hayden must have been playing with the camera, and somehow deleted them before I downloaded them.  So we'll just start with trouble.

1. Trouble.

When I got into the car the other day I could barely see out the window for all the slimy handprints all over the window.  When I downloaded the pictures, I found the culprits.

Thanks to our little photographers I know exactly who was involved in the crime. 

And thanks to our  photographers, I also lost the pictures I had of Sydney getting into trouble.

So I'll just have to tell you, that Sydney has discovered the usefulness of chair-scooting.  She has figured out that if she moves a chair over to the counter, she can climb onto the counter and help herself to anything she wants;  butter, chapstick, dumping out the coin jar or scattering my carefully organized stacks of paper . . .  it's lovely.

2. Tortillas

Again, no pictures, thanks to Hayden and Sean, but last Sunday when I had no plan for dinner, and the hour was growing late, Dallin suggested we make homemade tortillas.  And they were actually a lot of fun!  We just made the dough, rolled it out super thin, and cooked it on a skillet until there were little brown dots on it.  It looks like regular tortilla.  

Some of the kids wanted to cut their dough into shapes with cookie cutters, so they made lots of different shaped tortillas, and we ate them with honey.  Not exactly a super nutritious meal, but it was fun!  Here's the recipe for Homemade Tortillas (from Our Best Bites) in case you ever want to make them.  Dallin learned how to make these at Webelos, and I was pleasantly surprised at how great they turned out.  

3. Tissue

Over the last week and a half I have probably used 5 large boxes of Kleenex single-handedly.  It started out as allergies, and then mutated into a horrific head cold, and then after about 6 days of my face hurting so bad it radiated into my teeth, I finally went in and got on anti-biotics for a sinus infection, and although the pressure has subsided, I am still leaving a tissue trail where-ever I go.  I have to walk around the house periodically and pick up piles of used tissue at the desk, at the piano, on the floor by where I was folding laundry, and my night-stand.  I'll be so glad when my tissue consumption gets back to normal (and when I don't have to slather vaseline on my chapped nostrils.)

4. Tulle

On a happier note, I've been on a super crafty kick lately.  Here is an Easter wreath I made yesterday that turned out pretty fun.  Tulle, ribbon and eggs.  I'm gonna have to stop making wreaths because I'm running out of room to store all these wonderful new wreaths!  And yet, there is a 4th of July wreath that I've had my eye on that I might not be able to resist . . .

Some craftiness

I'd like to thank Pinterest for inspiring so many fun little crafts that have kept my imagination and my hands busy recently.  Here are some of my creations . . .

The lighting here is a little funny, but it's just a cute St. Patrick's Day wreath made of lots of strips of different green fabric and ribbon.  

The pictures below are not Pinterest ideas.  I learned the art of quilted-table-runner-making from my Mom and sister, Jenny, (two very talented seamstresses).  Over Christmas, they brought all the stuff for us to make Valentine's table runners and taught us how to make these:

They turned out so cute, that I admit I have every ambition of keeping a table-runner on the whole year, which of course, necessitates changeable table-runners for all the various holidays and seasons.  So here is my table runner for March.  Don't look too closely--it's better from a distance.  But I'm still happy with it.  The cool thing about this is that I just used left-over scraps of fabric from my wreath and some white fabric I already had on hand.  I just had to get fabric for the binding and the back so this little project cost about $3! 

Can't wait to start on my Easter/Spring table runner.  :)

Puccini and Popcorn

Last weekend, I tried something new and took my four oldest to the Art Museum for something called "Puccini and Popcorn," a free program sponsored by Opera Southwest.  I didn't know much about it beyond the brief description on the Museum's website.  I just told the kids I was taking them to some fun opera activity.  

The kids by a big head sculpture outside the museum.

I shouldn't have said anything.  You should have heard Dallin whining all morning about going to that.  How boring it would be, and did he have to go? and why did he have to learn something on Saturday when he already spent the whole week learning stuff at school? and he didn't want to sing in front of people, and nobody was going to make him, and blah, blah, blah.  Then of course Hayden piped in the first few minutes when we were waiting for it to start, "Mom, thith ith tho boring.  I told you thith would be tho boring, Mom."  

Well, let me just say that as soon as it was finished, they all ran over to me and said they definitely don't want to miss the next one.  

It turns out that we missed the first session which was held in November.  At that session, all the kids wrote a story that could be turned into an opera.  At our session, they told us the story that they would be using (a mix of a couple of stories from the first session,) and then told the kids they would be helping to write one of the songs.  It was fascinating to watch that process.  They set up the scene of the song, and said which characters were singing and what happened just before the song.  Then they asked the kids to talk about how they thought the girl would feel, or how they thought the soldier would feel.  As the kids had ideas, they were written down on a big board, and then during the snack break, one of the teachers took the main points from all the thoughts that were written down, and wrote a song for it!  

Here are the kids getting ready to do a square dance that happens at the beginning of the opera.  

(Our opera takes place during the Civil War)

This is Daphne being a dancing flower in the garden after the brother comes back to life from the magic tears of his sister and the soldier who killed him.  

The battle.  

Sean and Hayden are aiming their rifles at the soldiers across the way.  This is what made them want to come back next time--an epic battle scene in slow motion.  They loved it!  And the teachers said that for the last session to take place in June, everyone gets to wear costumes, and they'll practice the whole opera, and act it out in front of all the parents.  

Here is some footage of the slow-motion battle that made this 2-hour opera class completely worth it for my boys.  Even though they all died in the battle.  

I'm tellin' you-- this opera has it all:  conflicted love, magic, and a bit of violence;  

All the makings of a classic opera.  

Valentines in Pagosa Springs

This past week we drove up to Pagosa Springs, CO and spent some time with a couple of my sisters and their husbands (Nat & Brian, Mel & Jade,) and my brother Jacob, who flew out to hang with us for a few days.  We rented a great cabin and had a wonderful time together.

Here are the boys clearing a path out of the steep driveway.  After numerous attempts, and a broken chain, this was the final option to get our van out of that drive-way.  They were out there with garden shovels, hoes, ice-chippers, and snow shovels digging down until we found dirt.  

Here is Hayden heading off in his first ski school.  He looked so tiny going up the lift, and as I waved to him, the cute little boy next to him called to me, "Don't worry!  I'll watch out for him!"  I was really glad to hear that.

Jacob and I struggling through the powder.  Well, I struggled more than Jacob.  That powder really makes you work hard!  Also it was super cold, so the only way I lasted so long was not exposing any skin, and working up a sweat in that powder.  I'd be sweating by the end of the run, and then freezing on the way back up the lift.

The Wolf Creek ski school is THE BEST!  They have this great lodge where the kids eat lunch (which is included in the $60 all-day ski class) and the kids get hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream on it while they wait for the parents to come pick them up at the end of the day.  They look pretty happy don't you think?

All our ski-school kids:  Daphne, Hayden, Sean and Kyrie.

It snowed most of the day on Monday and Tuesday.  Here is our whole group except Arthur who is taking the picture, and Natalie and Melanie who were home watching Sydney.  (Thanks girls!)

Tuesday was Valentine's Day, and according to tradition, we exchanged Valentines from Nona, Papa, and all the Aunts and Uncles and cousins, and had a yummy Valentine's breakfast.  Here are Sean and Hayden waiting for breakfast to be ready and ruining their appetites by eating their Valentine candy.

the table

Strawberries and heart shaped honeydew melon.  

That took forever, so I only did a few.

Natalie working on her red velvet pancakes cooked in the shape of hearts.

The finished product--pancakes with some delicious cream-cheese frosting.  :)

so decadent.

Aunt Melanie told the boys that the "Squeeze-Its" were actually love potion and would make them fall in love with the first girl they looked at who wasn't family.  As a result Hayden spent most of the day covering his eyes, just in case.

Sean and Hayden on the 4th story of the cabin.  They thought it was so cool that the cabin was so tall! Jacob, Dallin and Sean were the lucky ones who got to sleep in the "tower" loft.

there they are way up high!

sigh.  

I loved the snowy view from this wall of windows at the cabin!  

It felt so cozy to be inside reading by the fire.

sledding

On Valentine's Night, Jacob was a sport and babysat all the kids for us, while the married couples went to the Hot Springs to soak for awhile.  It was AWESOME!  I love those smelly hot springs.  Some of us even jumped into the freezing cold San Juan river which is right next to all the hot springs.  Now that will really wake you up.  Getting out of the river made the air outside feel balmy.  We chatted and soaked and enjoyed a kid-free 2 hours at the springs.  I felt so completely relaxed when we left.

Sorry Mel--I know you'll probably hate me for posting this picture, but I think you still look cute.

Not very many pictures turned out at the springs because it was so steamy.  

But here's one where you can see our faces.  

Arthur and Dallin on the last day getting ready to ski Glory Hole Bowl.  

They had to hike up to this ridge.  

And just look at that powder!  

We had a wonderful time being with the Evans and the Thomasons and it was so fun having Jacob come too.  I'm already looking forward to next year's trip to Pagosa!

Vader Mobile

Well, this year was Dallin's last pinewood derby.  This year he came up with the idea of having a Darth Vader car, and I think it turned out pretty great.  He did it all himself.  Although here is Arthur just adding some last minute graphite to make the wheels spin faster.

The Pinewood Derby is my boys' favorite Cub Scout activity.  Sean and Hayden were looking forward to it as much (or more) than Dallin, and are already thinking of ideas for their cars when it's their turn.  Unfortunately, our camera is acting funny with indoor lighting and all of the pictures of the kids inside came out too blurry to post.  But you can just imagine all the younger siblings of the Cub Scouts huddling around the track to watch the races.  

Here are some close-ups of Dallin's car so you can see all his cool details.

"Don't make me destroy you!"

"You don't know the power of the dark side!"

all the boys and their cars

And the Vader Mobile came in 2nd.

The top three places.  Way to go, boys!

January Quotes

Hayden: (as the FedEx truck was driving away)  Hey that guy just boo'd us with some mail.

Sean:  Hey!  Did you know that the scriptures are about real live people?!?

Hayden:  Ouch!  My boneth justht got thqueethed! (squeezed)

Hayden: Mom, it'th like I alwayth thay, "Alwayth exthpect the unexthpected."

Sean:  So Mom, what's for dinner?  Leftovers or Newovers?

Hayden:  I declare, the Gariety'th are awethome!

Daphne:  So you went out of town to look at some naked bums?  (regarding the Vegas trip.)

Working on "Faith in God"--

Me:  So, Dallin and Daphne are gonna tell us some things we can do to remain faithful.

Dallin:  read your scriptures.

Daphne:  say your prayers.

Hayden:  go to bed.

Amen!  Go to bed is my favorite answer for most of life's ailments.

Hayden:  When I make a "Dweebalo" car it's gonna be a wolf car.

Daphne:  Mo--o--om, Hayden--

Hayden:  Mo-o-om!  Daphne's telling on me!

Some of Hayden's funny questions:

(for the full effect, you should speak these with a lisp.)

Hayden:  Daphne's being mean to me. Can you put her in the garbage can?

(sorry--not one of our time-out options . . .)

Hayden:  (observing the piece of roast on his fork) So Mom, this is dog, right? 

Mom:   uh, no.  We don't eat dogs.  That's cow.

Hayden:  Mom, is the Grinch actually in our earth?

Hayden:  Why do we live on this earth?

Me:  Because Heavenly Father wanted us to come and get bodies.

Hayden:  Well why don't we live on a different earth?

Me:  Maybe we will someday.

Hayden:  Why do I have this body?  I want to change bodies.  I want to be a daddy.

Me:  You can be a daddy later.  Why do you want to be a daddy now?

Hayden:  Because I want to be in charge of everyone.