Zions

Highlights:

Reading The Secret Garden in the car

Seeing palm trees and sunshine (Carly: Are we in Hawaii?!)

Breathtaking views, red rock and snow

Finding Macy's deer and seeing wild turkeys

Finishing our hikes safe and sound

Feeding elk and bison

Celebrating Dad's B-day at Amigos

Meeting Track

Having our own, private pool

Discovering a McDonalds Playland with b-ball hoops, air hockey, and fooseball

Spending the weekend with my sweetheart and girls!

For Next Year

One of Robyn's friends made this Valentine for all the girls in her class. I thought it was such a fun idea. She used paper hearts for the petals and a sucker for the middle.

Cinderella Dressed in Yellah...

In honor of Natl. Heart month, we've decided to jump start our hearts with a little bit of skippin' rope. Myles is shadow jumping with Carly to get her used to the rhythmn. The most cardio I get is speed walking to pick up the kids from school. I can jump rope for just a couple minutes and feel like I got a good work out! It's easy and fun to do as a family.

Pinkies up Dah-ling

If you have a little girl, and you haven't read Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor yet, you'll have to check it out! It's a fun book with great vocabulary and a sweet ending.



We got to join my niece and sis-in-law for a Fancy Nancy party at their library. Oooh, la, la, dah-ling!

We're Really Gonna Miss this Guy!

Shel Silverstein with the girls...

Krispie Kreme runs...

We've enjoyed having Mike close by. We're glad he got the job he wanted in DC, but we're sure gonna miss him!!

Ode to Red

My mom got this antique Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar for our 10th anniversary. (Myles sang Little Red Riding Hood to me at our wedding reception). The girls thought it was fun to accessorize her with Macy's choice for our Family Home Evening treat.

Gram would be proud!

My mom is really good at getting good deals. I was raised knowing you don't buy something unless it's on sale. Most of the fun was always the show-n-tell when she got home. Guess how much it was? Guess how much I saved? I think her posterity has caught on already.

A fabulous friend told me about The Children's Place winter clearance sale AND watched my kiddos so I could brave the crowds alone.

I've always thought this store was cute, but have hardly ever bought anything from there. Now I know to wait for their end-of-the-season sales!

Sweaters originally $16.50 were $2.99!

The girls were super excited and wanted to have a show-n-tell right away.

I think we'll have to have a part II fashion shoot with Robyn, who was @ school during the first one.

No, it's not Halloween...

...just an ordinary day at the Watson house.

If You Give a Pig a Coat...

He's going to want to go outside...

Dinner and a Movie

We've always enjoyed the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. We finally got to rent the movie, and it exceeded my expectations. Myles thinks it should say it's inspired by the book, and not claim that it was based on the book, which I agree. He made yummy meatballs to go along with our family fun night.

It's a Topographical Map...

No, it's German pancakes!

This one puffed up big enough that the kids were jumping up and down and ran to get the camera. (Don't pay any attention to the oven. A boy asked us, "How old IS your oven?...It's so cool because you can actually see the wires inside it and how it works. You can't see that in my oven.")

A few Saturdays ago, when I was going to make waffles and discovered we were out of baking powder, I realized we could still have a fun breakfast. We love it, and it's SO easy. It's good with syrup, applesauce, or other fruit like strawberries or raspberries.

So, if you want to impress your Valentine this weekend, here's the recipe:

(I usually do one and a half this recipe)

Melt some butter in the bottom of a pan in the oven while blending together: 1 cup milk, 6 eggs, 1 tsp. salt.

Add 1 cup flour.

Pour mixture into buttered pan and bake @ 400 degrees for about 20 min.

Reading Buddies

There's nothing much sweeter than waking up to this!

Our Family Mailbox

I love our family mailbox. (Before I found this cute one for half off @ Kohl's, we just used one that we'd made). This is a place we put thank you notes, I'm sorry notes, and fun drawings for each other. When the flag is up, everyone gets pretty excited! It's a great way to show love and feel loved.

What fun family tradition do you have?

The Disco Ball was hung with care

Myles rolled out the butcher paper and let the girls trace their bodies. (Robyn had already left for school). Macy chose to be an astronaut and Carly was a disco dancer. They would do arts and crafts 24/7 if I let them!

Macy gave Myles a Valentine she'd made from stuff she'd found in the recycling bin.
Myles: Wow! What's this?
Macy: A garbage Valentine!

Wonka Mania!

It all started with Carly's Christmas book this year. It's the first read aloud all 3 kids LOVED! It was a great motivator for them wanting to get ready for bed at the speed of light, so they could have "just one more chapter." Tears were nearly shed when they thought Charlie didn't get the last ticket. "I thought he was supposed to get one," they cried. Then, they jumped out of bed and cheered when his wish came true. At the breakfast table, they told us about dreaming they'd gone to the factory. They'd ask each of us who we'd want to be...

Just after finishing the final chapter, a Wonka Bar was delivered to our very door! Macy and Carly's friends were having a B-day party, and their invitation was the Golden Ticket!

We checked out the "old school" movie from the library since I heard the new one with Johnny Depp was "a little creepy." Besides, my cousins and I used to watch the old one and loved it. Carly was concerned about "Glustus Glup" and if Mike TV would ever be big again. We reassured her that everyone would be OK.

They're still dreaming about it, talking about it, and singing the songs from it. I can't blame them. A swim in the chocolate river sounds pretty good to me!

PS If you're local and want to borrow the book, let me know.

Kid Magnet

25 lbs of beans=25 hours of fun!

As you can see, my kids "live" in this bean box. They pour, sift, and "cook" these beans for hours at a time. It was a big hit with Macy's preschool gang, too. I overheard one of the kids exclaim, "This is the funnest thing, ever!" Thanks, Mom, for letting us borrow it. I think we'll be needing to make our own soon!

When I was a kid, I remember my mom letting us do this with rice...until the day she found it ALL over the basement. I think beans are easier to clean up. Our rule is "The beans stay off the floor." If I have to clean them up, they can't play with them again until the next day. This system works well.

At Carly's preschool last year, they had a water table filled with flour the kids could play with. I was glad she got to do something so cool at school. Once it's warm enough, I think a sand/water table would be fun outside.

Quotes from Hollywood, Jan. 2010

Macy: I love you, Mom.
Me: I love you, too. Thanks for telling me. That makes me feel good.
Macy: It makes ME feel good, actually.

Macy: How come other people don't say I love you as oftener as me?
Me: I don't know.
Macy: President Monson told us to do that.

Macy (after having croupe for a week): I feel like a dead engine.

Macy: Mom, I think I love you.

Macy: Mom, do you love Dad more than an orange?

Macy: Mom, I love you to the stars...and back.

Macy: I think I love you more than the whole, entire world!

Me: Do you want a piece of this chocolate cake?
Macy: No, thanks. Could I have some raisins for my treat, please?

Macy (in her prayer): Please bless everyone to be healthy, to fix cars, and to do crafts.

Robyn and Carly: Look, Mom, we're movie stars!

Carly: How come everyone except you in the whole, entire world has a cell phone?!

Myles: I like to snuggle with my wife.
Carly (to the tune of I've been Working on the Railroad): All the live-long day!

(Big snowflakes floating down) Carly: Mom, are the clouds molting?

Carly (thinking about Jane and Michael and Mary Poppins): Why were they so sad that she left?
Me: Because she was so much fun and they loved her.
Carly: You mean like Miss Amber?

(The next day) Carly: Would you like to BE Miss Amber? Cause I would sure like to be one of her kids!

Favorite Quotes from 2009

Carly: I'll be sad when Robyn grows up and moves away from home.

Macy: I love you so much, my stomach hurts!

Macy: I love you more than an elephant's egg!

Macy: We have arms because we can hug people...and rock-a-by babies.

Robyn: It would be useful to have 4 hands.

Macy: Yeah, cause then, you could hold Daddy's hand, Carly's hand, Mommy's hand, AND my hand!

Carly and Macy's Verse

to The Wheels on the Bus: The sisters on the bus say "I love you."

I Can't Believe it's February!

Before I've had a chance to change my red background from Christmas, it's just in time for Valentine's month!

I love this month. The days are getting lighter, longer, warmer. There's a fun holiday to celebrate. It's a time to think about loved ones.

Last night, I got to see my cousin, Mo, who I thought I might never get to see again. About a year and a half ago, he was hit and dragged by a semi while directing traffic in a construction zone. A coma and 30 surgeries later, he's walking with a cane and speaking Portuguese with Myles! Miracles do happen.

Here's a two-part video we made for my in-laws a couple years ago to celebrate the joy of families:



Set to music from the Stories of Jesus album and Scripture Scouts.