(pause) (pause) (pause) "Huh?"

Thank goodness for wind-up batteries!

Getting a few more minutes in before bedtime

"Spooky face"

Have I mentioned that our kids like to read? Oh, I have? Well, I'm mentioning it AGAIN because it turns out there is a minor downside. It goes something like this:

Me: (insert child's name), will you please (insert task, etc.)?

Child: (pause)

Child: (pause)

Child: (pause)

Me: (INSERT CHILD'S NAME)!!

Child: Huh?

I'm learning. When they're totally zoned into a book like that, it's a lot easier to touch them on the shoulder and wait a couple seconds for them to connect back to earth and me than to yell at them and tell them to stop ignoring me. They're not being mean or cruel--they're just on a totally different planet at the moment!!! And, to be fair, they probably experience the same frustration with me when I'm on the computer. :)

You Can't Stop the Beat!

Based on the number of posts for March, you'd think this month was pretty quiet compared to others. That's not to say we weren't busy, though! Here's a link to something I participated in most of February and March. You can't see me, but maybe you can hear me and the other youth leaders adding some volume as background singers!

CLICK HERE to see some awesomeness-but-I'm-glad-it's-over-too video!

We had some nice rain this weekend and were also treated to two separate dinners with friends, so basically I'm spoiled rotten and have forgotten how to cook. :)

Spring Break starts next weekend--we are super excited for our Amish country trip!!!

Saved

Earlier in the week Rhiannon caught me off guard when she asked if she could read my copy of Twilight. I told her those books were written for young adults and she needed to wait several years. The next day I raced off to the library to pick up Little Women and Anne of Green Gables, which she seems to enjoy so far. Some friends really came through, too, when I asked for book suggestions that would meet the advanced reader/touch of romance requirement, etc. THANK YOU for saving me! I think Rhiannon will love this list, and I will be trying it out, too!

It's been a fast, good week. I taught Joy School and had probably the easiest/most fun theme--Imagination and Creativity. You really can't go wrong playing dress-up and pretending the whole 3-hr block!

Weekend report...and T-Ball schedule!

We were going to head up to Baltimore/Fort McHenry on Saturday, but Jason made a good call (one of many!) to work that into our "Amish Country" Spring Break trip coming up in a couple weeks. So, instead, we stayed home and relaxed. I think we needed it. The weather was a bit cold so we stayed indoors except for playing some catch outside for a little while. And then we ate Papa John's and watched a little March Madness b-ball. It was great!

We're getting excited about Wade's upcoming t-ball season. He's going to be on the Nationals team...of course there will be plenty of pictures of that once we get started! :)

Oh, and, yes, I did purchase Twilight on Saturday. I started to watch it that night but I wasn't able to finish it/enjoy it because I felt SO sick. Of all things, I think I got sick from a 7-11 cherry limeade Slurpee! I'm okay now, thank goodness!

Inspiration

I have been very impressed by the Church's new "MormonMessages" channel on YouTube. The one above by President Uchtdorf is beautiful (thanks, Sandi!) I decided against embedding the whole channel on our blog, though--the caution about anti "related videos" popping up is LEGIT, so be wary.

Some things are worth waiting for

With just over 3 months left here, we sat down for Family Home Evening last week and made some plans:

March:
American History museum (check!)
Arlington Cemetery (Jason hasn't seen it yet)
Go up to Baltimore and visit Fort McHenry

April:
Rocky Acre Farm for Spring Break (Amish country, Gettysburg)

May:
Boat tour around Chincoteague and Assateague Island
Howard and Sandi's visit
Rhiannon's b-day

June:
"Farewells"
Begin Cross-Country Road Trip

Shortly after we first got here in summer '07, the American History museum was closed for a large renovation project. It opened up again back in November, and we were finally able to go see it yesterday. Wow. Some things are definitely worth waiting for. It was a beautiful, fun, and amazing place. I was most impressed by the Star Spangled Banner exhibit--of course, it was the one place in the building where we weren't allowed to take pictures, so you can learn more about that exhibit HERE. I was most impressed by the size of it--I had no idea the flag was 30 by 34 feet!

Enjoy the pictures!

A visit, a quote, and a sign of spring

Last night we had Bob Crenshaw over for dinner. He's an old family friend who happened to be in town. My dad met Bob and his wife Betty in Germany about 37 years ago when he was serving a mission there, and our families have kept in touch ever since. It was the C-O-O-L-E-S-T thing ever to be able to have our kids hear the story of how their grandpa Rich taught the Crenshaws and helped them join the Church. Bob shared his testimony with us about that time, and there was a wonderful spirit as we visited. I'm grateful to my dad, brothers, and husband who have served missions. What great examples for Rhiannon and Wade!

The kids had a great time meeting Bob!

Stake Conference was this weekend. I enjoyed the talks and can't get one quote in particular out of my mind. The mission president's wife spoke and said she had heard that "too many of us know just enough about the gospel to feel GUILTY, and not enough to know the peace and joy that comes from truly understanding the Atonement." Definitely something to think about and work on.


We went from 5 inches of snow last Monday to 80-degree weather yesterday. Crazy, but SO NICE! Wade and I got a kick out of this little daffodil peeking out under the bushes in the front yard. Welcome, spring!

And speaking of spring, we've been doing a bit of "spring cleaning." Over the weekend Rhiannon and I tackled her room and got rid of a lot of stuff. Wade was excited to "inherit" a few books before the rest went in bags for the VVA pickup. I thought Camp Rock might be a little hard, but, boy was I wrong! Wade continues to amaze me with his reading.

While the cat's away, the mice will...

try to survive as best they can! :) We've missed Daddy while he's been in CA this week, but we've managed to stay occupied with:

Lots of snow! We got 5+ inches on Sunday night. I took this picture yesterday, so imagine 5 times that amount and you get a good idea of the fun we had.

working on the daily grind (homework). Rhiannon was having a hard time concentrating while we jumped around and were noisy. She took a break to give me her best "aggravated" pose...

and then wowed me with this look. What a beauty!!!



At Wade's insistence, we also celebrated Pete the Pug's birthday on March 4th. Notice the little dog surrounded by all of the "gifts" Wade gave to him! We also gave Aunt Amelia a call and wished her a REAL happy birthday! :)

I've been working on stuffed teddy bears to send to LDS Humanitarian services. For a "beginner seamstress project" it's taken too much time, but I'm enjoying it and will be finished once I add all the details to the bears.

We also tried a new 'do on Wade. It was all spiky and then when he woke up the next day he got to sport a totally different 'do--the mohawk rocked. (Kudos to Wade who put up with his mom taking pictures of him before he was fully awake. No wonder the kid's not much of a morning person!)

Besides that, there's not too much to report. We're looking forward to spring--40 degrees felt SO GOOD this morning!!!