Something good happens every day. Here's what happened in April 2015:
Wed 4/1/15: My nephew, Michael received his mission call! He's going to serve in Provo, Utah! (Not an April Fool's joke) We are so happy for him.
Thu 4/2/15: Lizzy, David, and I spent time with Grandma and Grandpa Whitcomb today. We went walking along the Jordan River, and stopped to play at Germania Park and Millrace Park, and even got to play with a little English Bulldog puppy named Bruce. Lizzy learned how to swing by herself at the park. She was so proud to learn this new skill.
Fri 4/3/15: Today was the Neighborhood Easter Egg hunt at Hunter Ridge Park. Lizzy and David had a fun time collecting eggs and playing with other neighborhood children. David took a particular liking to a young father there, who was playing with his daughters, as well as with all the other children. David kept calling him Papa. He kept following him everywhere like a little puppy.
Sat 4/4/15: Brad and I woke up early this morning, to watch a lunar eclipse from our roof. It was beautiful to watch, but also very cold. The eclipse was a special one, because it could be seen from almost all over the planet. I got another amazing view of the eclipse a couple of hours later, while I was driving to Walmart. I ended up having to take multiple trips to Walmart today. David and Lizzy both ended up getting pink eye this morning, and David is covered in hives. I had to pick up a prescription for them at Walmart. We used a Darth Vader Pez dispenser as an after-medicine-treat for Lizzy and David, after they got their eyes squirted. It made it for a much better experience.
Sun 4/5/15: After General Conference today, we headed over to Grandpa North's house for an Easter celebration. It was nice watching the kids having fun with their cousin in Grandpa's backyard. Brad did a good job hiding the plastic Easter eggs. Dinner was delicious, as usual. The desserts were fantastic, too. My favorite part of the night was going through some of Brad's mother's keepsakes. Amanda had put together a bunch of papers, photographs, cards, and letters for all of the siblings, as well as clothing, dishes, knick-knacks, and other things for us to choose from. We inherited some silverware, cookware, clothes, hats, a suitcase, and Margaret's sewing machine.
Mon 4/6/15: Lizzy woke up very ill this morning. I was already going to keep her home due to her pink eye, but then as the day progressed she ended up having a fever as well as a bad cough, so I was glad I kept her home from school. I picked up the last Hobbit movie from the library tonight. Brad and I watched it, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It helps having low expectations.
Tue 4/7/15: The HISHE version of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is hilarious! It's definitely worth watching the movie so you can see the HISHE version of it later.
Wed 4/8/15: I played chauffeur to Scott, Emma, Kaylie, and Brandon this evening, driving them to their various trek activities. It's always fun hanging out with those geeky, funny kids. Lizzy's fever continued to flare up, unfortunately.
Thu 4/9/15: Lizzy was much better today, but I kept her home from school anyway, since she still had a little bit of a cough.
Fri 4/10/15: Today ended up being a busy day. After dropping off the kids at school, I went to the gym with David. I watched "Music and Lyrics" while I walked on the treadmill for 40 minutes. After the gym, David and I stopped at McDonalds and had breakfast. David had fun playing on the equipment while I finished my oatmeal and Egg White Delight muffin. After breakfast, we went back to Entheos to pick up Lizzy. Then we headed over to shop for groceries at Harmons and Sam's Club. We had pizza and salad for lunch at Sam's Club. Then we went to play at Cougar Park for an hour before picking up the Emma and the cousins from school. The cousins came over in the evening and had a pizza dinner with us before we took them to Art Night at Entheos. It was fun seeing the girls' artwork on display around the school. Lizzy and David had fun eating popsicles and popcorn with their cousins.
Sat 4/11/15: Lizzy's fever returned today. I probably should not have taken her to the park yesterday. I am feeling pretty poorly, too, and so is David. Today ended up being a stay-at-home day, with only Bradley getting out of the house to run errands. Good news is our van passed safety and emissions today, with flying colors! That's always a relief.
Sun 4/12/15: I spent most of the day watching All Creatures Great and Small with Lizzy and David. We found a channel on YouTube that has all the episodes, so I kept watching one after the other all day. Brad took Scott and Emma to Stake Conference. Lizzy, David, and I all have pretty bad coughs, so we stayed home from church. Scott began teaching Emma how to ride a bike this afternoon. Emma needs to learn how to ride a bike so she can participate in Entheos' Pedals for Hope activity.
Mon 4/13/15: We went to the Hunter Library tonight, since we did not have any holds to pick up at Kearns Library. We got there just in time for a small bird show performed by Scales in Tails. I absolutely loved seeing all of the birds they had in the show. They had a white pigeon named Moe, a small Green Aracari Toucan named Chiquito, a European Starling named Mozart, a Laughing Kookaburra named Zoro, a Rainbow Lorikeet named Charlie, and a Green Wing macaw named Chicken. Lizzy and David loved listening to Zoro laugh, watching Charlie dance, and getting splashed by Mozart when he took a bath. We got to pet Zoro at the end. He was very, very soft.
Tue 4/14/15: We had a huge wind and mud storm this afternoon, after a perfectly beautiful sunny spring morning. It was fascinating, and a little scary, driving the kids home from school. Scott came with me, because he thought he was going to help Grandpa North work on his yard. Plans changed pretty quickly when the dust storm hit us hard and mud began falling from the sky instead of rain. There were tumbleweeds everywhere. I ran into a few of them by accident, then intentionally hit one on the way home. Scott said I would score 10 points if I did.
Wed 4/15/15: SNOW! Lots and lots of snow! We had a huge blizzard today that dumped beautiful snow all over Northern Utah. After hardly getting any snow this winter, it was a welcome surprise. Lizzy, David, and Valeen had a wonderful time playing in the snow this afternoon.
Thu 4/16/15: We watched the new Star Wars trailer today! It looks like it's going to be awesome. I loved seeing the shot of Han Solo and Chewbacca at the end of it. Brad cried when he watched it.
Fri 4/17/15: I woke up this morning with my eyes swollen shut. I can't believe I got pink eye! I thought I had escaped it, since it was more than a week ago that Lizzy and David had it. I look absolutely terrible with my red, swollen, gunky eyes. My parents stopped by to drop off some goodies, which was very nice of them. My highlight of the day was Brad picking up Mockingjay, Part 1 from the Moons. At least I had some good entertainment to distract me from feeling miserable.
Sat 4/18/15: I am still pretty ill today. It doesn't help that my cough, which I have had for a week, has become worse. My eyes are clearing up, though. Thank goodness for David's eye drop medicine. I had enough energy to drive Emma to the park by the Kearns Recreational Center. She had a fun time hanging out with her friend, Rachel Hayden, and her cousin, Kaylie.
Sun 4/19/15: I missed church today, due to my cough and pink eye.
Mon 4/20/15: Brad's Dad got married today, to his lady-friend from Chile, Silvia. They had a civil ceremony at the SLC County Clerk's office, then a reception in the evening at Dad's house. My highlight of the day was seeing friends and family members at the reception. I love Brad's family. Amanda did a fantastic job preparing and arranging all of the food. I took lots of photos of every one, even though I was still feeling pretty sick.
Tue 4/21/15: Bradley made my birthday a special one this year. He made me breakfast in bed, so that I could rest and recover from our busy day yesterday. He also gave me The Hobbit to read while I rested, which I haven't read in years. At around lunch time, we dropped off David at Grandma and Grandpa's house and had a Subway picnic at Murray Park. After lunch, Brad and I went to buy a mulberry tree at Glover Nursery in West Jordan. We spent the rest of the afternoon cuddling and resting at home, which was lovely. In the evening we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's house to pick up the kids and have dinner and cake with them. Mom made a delicious roast and a cheesy potato casserole.
Wed 4/22/15: I got done a bunch of photo editing today, of David's and Silvia's wedding day. The photos turned out really well. I enjoyed posting them on Facebook this afternoon.
Thu 4/23/15: My tree arrived today! Horray! Mom and I planted it in the hole Brad dug up for me on my birthday. Even though the tree does not have any leaves yet, it still makes my yard look so much nicer than before. Every yard needs a tree, I think.
Fri 4/24/15: I forgot to write. :(
Sat 4/25/15: Brad and I went to the gym this morning! It was nice going together. For lunch, Brad and I made sloppy joes and corn-on-the cob, which we ate while we watched our newly bought Blu-ray disc of "Wreck it Ralph." We decided to buy the movie after the kids kept checking it out from the library over and over again.
Sun 4/26/15: It was nice being back at church today! My lesson in CTR 5 was on the Word of Wisdom, which was a big hit with the kids. They loved talking about good foods and bad foods, and taking care of our bodies. I brought sliced apples and oranges to class, which they also loved. Today was Michael's farewell party and talk. We are so happy for Michael's decision to go on a mission. It's nice having two Elder North's in the family. It is exciting to think that Scott might be the next one.
Mon 4/27/15: I decided to get some gardening done, since I am feeling stronger today than I have for weeks. I planted some zucchini and corn in little planters, and have them on trays so I can move them in and out of the garage, in case the weather goes bad. I also planted some lilies and dahlias in the front flower bed, by our new tree. In the afternoon, I took Lizzy and David to the "mountain park" to play. I enjoyed reading The Hobbit while they dug in the sand and played with other children.
Tue 4/28/15: I took Emma shoe shopping this evening while Brad was doing visits with the elders. Our goal was to find Emma comfortable walking or hiking shoes, so that she can wear them when she goes on Trek. We found some nice black FILA shoes, and a really awesome Batman-Starry Night t-shirt, too. Emma was very happy with her purchases.
Wed 4/29/15: I forgot to write. :(
Thu 4/30/15: I forgot to write. :(
