With Valentine's Day on a Sunday, we held a dinner at our house. We even got out the China and goblets for the occasion. We were happy that Jeff and Grandma Grace could join us for our celebration.
What is Valentine's without tons of sweets and cookies? After dinner we decorated sugar cookies and ate lots of chocolate cake while we played games. Valentine's is a great holiday to be reminded about all the people we love and share memories with them.
Over President's Day weekend, Ogden filled the streets of downtown with snow. We went on Saturday afternoon to brave the rain and cold. Of course, we had to stop at Great Harvest first for some giant slices of bread and cookies.
Truckloads of snow were brought in to create a skiing hill and snow mobile tracks. There must have been thousands of tons of snow on the streets and considering we have no snow that was quite a feat.
There were snow sculptures in the park. Most of them disintegrated in the rain, but this tiger remained in tact.
This was a snow sculpture that turned into climbing hills for the kids.
It was very cool to walk around and see so many different snow activities. I think we'll come again next year and hope for more snow and less rain!
The Saturday before Valentine's Day, Ogden held a 5-K race in conjunction with it's WinterFest. Jeff talked me into doing it and I talked Mary into coming also. And so in the rain and cold we raced to downtown Ogden from the mouth of the canyon. My feet were wet and cold before we even started. This is our pre-race picture.
This is our post-race picture. We made it to the end. Jeff came in ahead of me and then Mary was close behind. Even though it was cold, we did finally warm up by about the 2 mile mark. I thought my time was a little long because of the rain, but when we finished we found out our 5-k was actually 3.5 miles. No wonder my goal of 30 minutes turned into 33. Either way it was a fun way to start off the long weekend. We have already planned to do it again next year! Any taker?
According to Emily there is nothing more fun about Valentine's than getting the cards ready for the class. Our school did not allow candy to be brought in with the Valentine's card so we had the challenge of finding something non-edible. Thank heavens for Dollar Tree. We found erasers, highlight markers, and whistles---just what every kid needs.
This is Emily on her way to the school party. To say she was excited was an understatement. And no shock that she picked puppy cards.
Sadly, this is Megan's last Valentine's party in school. I'm sure cards aren't exchanged in Junior High like they are in elementary. She didn't want the store-bought kind---they were for the younger grades. We came up with these pillow pockets, but it was a lot of work. I know now why we always buy the cards.
A couple of Saturdays ago, Megan headed off with Wendell to ski and so Tyler spent the afternoon with Emily. Can I just say Tyler will probably make the best husband? He played Band Hero with Emily for hours. What is amazing about that is that Emily insisted on singing "You Belong with Me" by Taylor Swift over and over again. Tyler patiently loaded the song for her and then played the drums while Emily sang her heart out. I've decided there are moments in being a mother that you realize just how great your kids are. (Of course there are those days when you think just the opposite also.) All this was done after Tyler had tidied up the house and made everyone clean. Megan and Emily affectionately call Tyler, "Alice." As in Alice from the Brady Bunch. If you want your house organized, beds made, dishes done, tables cleared, counters wiped, blankets folded, stairs vacuumed, or things hidden, then you need to hire Tyler for the day. The best word to describe Tyler cleaning is to say he scurries through the house from room to room. That even includes Megan and Emily's room. I'm not sure how long this phase will last, but can I just say I am enjoying while it does last. And so, before the phase ends, if you would like to see our house clean---come quick!
I am afraid to admit that it has been 15 years since I graduated from college. At that time, my path of graduate school was redirected. I wouldn't change anything about getting married or becoming a Mom. Now that Emily is in Kindergarten, I actually have a little spare time. Well, my brother Jeff talked me into taking the GMAT in October. With a day to spare, I applied for the MBA program. And in January, I began with my first of 12 classes. I am currently in an accounting class which is a very humbling experience. I realized quickly that the last time I had accounting was my freshman year---yikes! Each class is only 8 weeks and meets only one night a week. Really not that intense, but perfect for me. I can get in 2 classes a semester which means it will be December 2012 before I ever graduate. I guess that will come fast and considering I have no career goals it really doesn't matter how long it takes. For now, I sit with classes full of bald men and a handful of young ones and we learn to master business. I've dusted off my financial calculator and have tried to hone my Excel skills in hopes I make it through this first class. Let the Adventure Begin!
