Science Fair

Scott and Emma both entered projects in their school's Science Fair this year. Scott focused his project on training rats and Emma's project was on eclipses. Scott won 2nd place and will be entering his project in the district science fair in a short while. We are very proud of his hard work.

Emma's Project
Question: How do Eclipses Happen and How can I make an Eclipse?

"Eclipses happen when the sun and moon are in a straight line and make a shadow on the Earth. I made an eclipse by making models and using a flashlight." ~Emma

Scott's Project
Question: Can a Rat be Trained to Stand on Command?

"Yes, rats can learn to stand on command by using positive reinforcement (treats) and operate conditioning (reward the rat for natural behavior)." ~Scott

Long Beach on President's Day Weekend

We went to Long Beach over President's Weekend this year, which also happened to be Valentine's Day weekend and a few days before my dad's birthday. Lizzy came with us for the first time. We had a fun time!

This was Lizzy's first airplane ride.

She loved the JetBlue pamphlets best.

The weather was perfect in Long Beach! No more Utah coats for us!

Susie picked us up at the airport. She told my parent's she was going for a very "quick errand." My parents had no idea she was coming to pick us up at the airport. I loved surprising them!

It's so nice to be home!

Rachel was still very weak from her week-long hospital stay, but she and Craig managed to come over and wait at the house to witness mom's and dad's reactions to our surprise visit.

I loved visiting with my pets! Sassy and Baby never seem to forget me when I come to visit. I'm so glad they remember me.

I love my Baby!

Grandma and Lizzy had a wonderful time bonding again.
My mom was thrilled to be reunited with her first grand-baby!

A surprise for me? No way!
Bradley had a special delivery sent to me... Valentine's Day roses. How sweet! I love my Bradley!

We went out for a walk in the evening on Saturday. It was so nice being outdoors without being cold.

Lizzy absolutely LOVED our cat Sassy. She would get excited every time she saw her.

Lizzy loved visiting with her two aunts.

We had a small birthday party for my dad at Rachel's new condo.

Lizzy had a wonderful time playing the piano with her Aunt Susie on Sunday morning.
She's our little Beethoveness.

I love going to my homeward for church on Sunday. It was great seeing so many people I've known all my life and being back in my old building. I felt so much at home.

We have to go shopping at Trader Joe's while we're in Long Beach! We make this outing during every visit. I wish there was one near our home in Utah.

It reached 85 degrees on Monday! Can you believe that?
I LOVE visiting Long Beach in the winter.

We went to visit Rachel at her new condo in Cypress on Monday. We ate sushi and played games with her. She was still feeling sick and weak.

Rachel is always pretty, even when she's under-weather and not feeling herself.

We went to Cherry Park on Monday evening to watch Lizzy swing on the swings for the first time. She went early in the day with Grandma but we missed it. She loved the swings!

It was a very short visit but a wonderful one, too! We love visiting Long Beach in the winter while the weather is so nice and warm. It was great being on my home turf again and spending time with my family.

My Mom's Surpsie

Brad and I sneaked down to sunny California for President's Day weekend this year with sweet little Lizzy. My parent's had no idea we were coming. I knew my mother would be thrilled and cry when she saw us. Thank you Susie for capturing that moment on video and posting it on YouTube!

SURPRISE!

I'm off to Long Beach to surprise my parents today. They don't know I'm coming for President's Day weekend. Sunny California, here I come!!!

New Rooms and Ice Cream

Scott and Emma officially switched rooms last week. We had a family discussion on Monday night for Family Home Evening and announced that we wanted Scott and Emma to switch rooms before 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 30th. They had four days to get it done. Brad told them if they got it done by that time he would take them to Leatherby's for a yummy ice cream treat. Needless to say they were highly motivated and worked really hard every day to get it done, especially since they were not allowed to watch movies or play video games until the job was complete (I know, we're mean parents). By the time noon came around on Saturday their rooms were completely switched and looked fantastic, so we kept our end of the deal and went to Leatherby's as a family for some amazingly delicious ice cream.

The Highlight of My Day: January 2010

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in January:

Fri 1/1/10: Today was our annual bowling on New Years Day with the Harmans! We bowled, ate yummy food, played Nerts and other games, and visited with Brad's extended family.

Sat 1/2/10: We had 7 of Bruce and Loralee's kids over for a sleepover last night. Today we had a great time looking at old pictures with Bruce and Loralee.

Sun 1/3/10: Lizzy made Mama and Papa so happy today! She is just a huge bundle of joy! She had a great time playing mouth games with Papa and making Mama laugh. She is so cute!

Mon 1/4/10: I introduced finger foods to Lizzy today. She really wanted my cookie so I gave her half. She sucked and sucked. Tonight during dinner I sliced some toast for her and she loved sucking on that as well. Rosie liked it, too. Rosie got to eat the stuff that ended up on the floor.

Tue 1/5/10: Lizzy keeps being the highlight of my day lately... she's just so much fun! Tonight Brad and I tried to go to bed by 11:00, but Lizzy had other ideas. So Brad and I took her out of the crib and began playing with her. She got a kick out of Brad's mini flashlight. Lots and lots of laughter in our room tonight!

Wed 1/6/10: It was funny watching Rosie be Lizzy's shadow today. Lizzy just started learning how to eat Cheerios, and most of the Cheerios end up on the floor. Rosie gets about 1 out of every 3.

Thu 1/7/10: I relieved a lot of tension and sadness today by writing in my journal. Things have not been easy lately, and it was great having an outlet to sort out my thoughts and release some repressed emotions.

Fri 1/8/10: Amanda is here in town! She came to visit Margaret, who's in the hospital. Tonight Brad's dad took Brad, me, and Amanda out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Lizzy came, too.

Sat 1/9/10: We bought a crib for Lizzy today from KSL.com. We'll be switching Emma's and Scott's room so Lizzy can share a room with Emma.

Sun 1/10/10: We had a family gathering tonight. All of Brad's siblings were able to make it. We talked, laughed, and cried. All of us miss Margaret.

Mon 1/11/10: I had a cheerful moment early this morning-- I had all three kids in bed with me, plus one large standard poodle spread out across our legs. It was a great way to start out the day.

Tue 1/12/10: Scott and Emma were able to go to their activities tonight. Emma made a jar of cookie dough mix, and Scott went swimming to get a merit badge. Both were happy they were able to go.

Wed 1/13/10: I am grateful for my wonderful husband. He is so strong and courageous. He has gone through so many difficult times but he always comes out standing taller than before. I love him and admire him very much.

Thu 1/14/10: I finally got to see Margaret in the hospital tonight. She is so very ill, it breaks my heart. But I am grateful that I went to visit her and tell her I love her.

Fri 1/15/10: Today was preparation day. Margaret will be passing away either tomorrow or Sunday. I am so thankful for Brad's family to lean on during hard times.

Sat 1/16/10: We said our last goodbyes and took Margaret off of life-support. She passed away at around 10:25 pm. While it was a sad experience overall, it was also special being there with Margaret as she slipped away from this life into the next. I am happy that all of her children were able to be there and most of her siblings.

Sun 1/17/10: I was searching through photographs of Margaret today. I want to have a display of pictures for her funeral on Wednesday.

Mon 1/18/10: Tonight we had a HUGE combined family home evening with Brad's extended family. It was truly a wonderful experience. We took turns telling stories and memories of our beloved Margaret. She was such an amazing lady!

Tue 1/19/10: I put about 30 various photos of Mom together for a display at the church tonight for the viewing. Brad and I also finished the programs for the funeral as well. It was neat seeing so many family and friends at the viewing.

Wed 1/20/10: Today was Mom's funeral. It turned out beautifully. We had a good size number in the chapel. Marian, Brad, Bruce, Sandy DeGraw, and Dad spoke at the funeral. Ruby White sang "Be Still My Soul," Loralee played a primary melody, and Marilyn played "O Divine Redeemer" on the violin.

Thu 1/21/10: Zach and Amanda took us out to lunch today at Applebees. It reminded me of all the fun times we had at our Wednesday lunches with Mom. Afterwards Zach and Amanda played "Nerts" with us at our home. I won. Later in the evening we had dinner at Marian's house and played "Nerts" there, too. I won again. When did I become so good at "Nerts"?

Fri 1/22/10: It was nice having a little bit of normality in our lives again, but I found myself missing Margaret quite often. Life isn't normal without her. I went through pictures again, trying to find more photos and videos of Mom so I can make a CD.

Sat 1/23/10: Brad and I watched "I Remember Mama" together. Such a sweet movie! I made breakfast for dinner tonight, which the kids loved. We had ham, eggs, and pancakes. Scott was thrilled that I didn't make any vegetables. I guess it doesn't happen too often.

Sun 1/24/10: Emma gave her talk in Primary today on the first Article of Faith. After church we watched a Janice Kapp Perry special on the BYU channel, then we watched "The Five Children and It" I got from the library. Bruce and Loralee's family came in the evening.

Mon 1/25/10: Scott and Emma are enthusiastically cleaning their rooms tonight. Brad gave them a highly motivated speech during FHE about switching bedrooms and what they would get as a reward if they finish by Saturday afternoon. They got so excited they couldn't contain themselves and begged their dad to finish FHE early so they could start working on their rooms early.

Tue 1/26/10: Emma found out during her Achievement Day activity that I would be going to a YW pajama party tonight. She begged and begged to let her go too so I agreed and we went together. She had a very fun time and can't wait until she's old enough to go every week.

Wed 1/27/10: I bought airline tickets to go to Long Beach! I am keeping it a secret from my parents, so hopefully no one spills the beans.

Thu 1/28/10: Marian, Natalie, and Travis showed up at our house tonight to celebrate John's birthday. They brought a yummy German Chocolate cake and ice cream.

Fri 1/29/10: Watched "The Mary Tyler Moore" show with Brad before going to bed. It's been a while since we've watched TV alone together-- so busy!

Sat 1/30/10: Scott and Emma finished switching their rooms today! YAY! In the afternoon we headed to Leatherbys and had delicious ice cream sundaes. In the evening we went to the Harman's and had dinner and played games with them.

Sun 1/31/10: We had dinner at Bruce & Loralee's house tonight. Loralee made delicious beef stew and homemade bread. Lindsey made us brownies.