Field Trip with Grandma

Brighton's preschool has had really fun monthly field trips and the girls and I (and even Dad, once) have enjoyed going to them. This month their outing was just local and right during the girls' nap time, so I thought it was one I could miss. Brighton was disappointed when I told him I wouldn't be joining him, so Grandma came to the rescue. Of course, it was even better for Brighton to have Grandma come with him, and he was excited to have her meet his teacher and his friends.

They started their outing at our local Albertsons where they got a tour of the various departments of a grocery store and sampled different foods:

Brighton, with his friend Connor

Then they headed over to our local library for a tour and some stories:

Brighton's class and his teacher, Mrs. Starr

Brighton and Grandma

Brighton and Dawson looking through a book

Afterwards Grandma took Brighton to Dairy Queen for a treat.  He is so lucky to have such a fun Grandma!

Grandma's New Do

Grandma Allen has had long, long hair all the way down her back forever. Yesterday she got a cute new cut-- she chopped off over a foot of hair! We think she looks absolutely FABULOUS!

Doesn't she look about 20 years younger?

Happy Birthday, Uncle Matt

We had worked up quite an appetite after all that sledding and playing in the snow, so we went and grabbed an early dinner at our favorite place-- Pace's.

While we were waiting for our food, Chelsea suddenly said, in her sad voice, "I wish Uncle Matt was here...".  It's true, whenever Matt is in town, we always go to Pace's with him.  And since Saturday was his birthday, it seemed appropriate that we ate there in honor of him. 

(This is a picture that Brighton took with my camera while we were there).  

Happy Birthday, Uncle Matt, we miss you!  

Sledding and Tubing with Grandma and Grandpa

The snow around our house has started to melt away, so we knew our sledding days were numbered. We decided to take advantage of the nice weather on Saturday and headed up to the foothills of Bountiful with Grandma and Grandpa.

Getting ready to go

Trudging up the big hill

Grandma, Grandpa, and Chelsea

Brighton found a big huge snowball

Our dare-devil speed-monster

Dad and Chelsea

Building a snowman... the girls mostly just ate the snow

Brighton lent him his sunglasses

What a gorgeous day!

Brighton and Grandpa

Dad and Siena, going backwards

As we were walking back to the car, we came across this sign... I guess it's a good thing we didn't see it until AFTER we were done...

The Shaggy Mullet Had To Go

It has been a cold winter here in Utah. I thought we could grow Brighton's hair a little for warmth, and visualized it looking utterly adorable, maybe a even a little Zac Efron-ish. Well, his hair got longer, and shaggier, and wilder, but not much cuter. And last night Justin said it was starting to look like a mullet. Well, that did it. I took him to get it cut this afternoon:

Much better.

Big Brother Breakfast

Yes, I'll admit it.  I've never been much of a morning person.  I've been forced to become one since I've had children, but breakfast still really isn't my thing.  I guess that's why my children have all learned to pour themselves a bowl of cereal from a very young age.  Even Siena, not yet two years old, will go into the fridge and get herself a yogurt drink and poke a straw into it that she got by herself from the pantry.  Brighton will usually make himself some toast, pour milk or juice for himself and for his sisters, maybe get a banana, but this was a first--

Waffles with whipped cream and strawberries

I came out of the shower this morning and I have to say that I was impressed to find that he had made such a fancy breakfast for himself and his sisters.  

It is just such a dilemma-- on the one hand, I'm glad that I'm teaching (or more like forcing) my kids to be independent and do things for themselves, but on the other hand, I feel guilty that I'm not making them a good hearty and healthy breakfast every morning.  They do say that it's the most important meal of the day...

Train Ride

Yesterday we rode the Frontrunner for the first time.  We had planned this little outing for Valentine's Day, but because of the snowy weather we postponed it to Monday since Justin had the day off.  It's really shocking that we waited this long to ride it since Justin is on the UTA board and so we have free annual family passes.  

On the platform of the Woods Cross station

The kids loved being on the train and watching the scenery go by.  We got off at Ogden and walked over to 25th Street for some lunch.  We were hoping to eat at Zengers, which is a really great deli where we always ate lunch when we visited Justin at his office (back when he worked up in Ogden), but it was closed for the holiday so we ate at The Athenian instead.  It was really good, and the kids enjoyed their first exposure to Greek food.  After lunch we hopped back on the train to go home.  It was a really fun family outing.

Love All Around

We awoke this morning to this:

The weather cramped our Valentine's Day plans, but maybe it was for the best.  We spent the morning in our pjs exchanging cards and small gifts and hanging out instead

A card from Brighton to Mom and Dad

with a "Love Bug"

Justin always finds me the cutest hand-made cards

I told Justin not to get me anything this year (he spoils me too much already), and we would just go out to a nice dinner without the kids instead (which we did last night-- sushi, yum!), but the doorbell rang this morning and look what came:

Is that the most beautiful arrangement you've ever seen?  He also got me some really pretty stationary (one of my favorite things!).  He really knows me and loves me :)

We Love You

Happy Valentine's Day

from our family to yours

Bee-Bim Bop!

So, a couple of years ago Brighton chose this book during one of our many trips to the library, and he liked it so much that he would check it out every time we went after that.  I finally ended up buying it for him for his birthday that year.  It's one of those books that is in our regular rotation because the kids enjoy it so much.  It's about a little Korean girl who is helping her mother make dinner, and they are making a traditional Korean dish called bee-bim bop.  The first time we read it I had told Brighton that that was one of my favorite dishes, ever since I was a little girl, and since then he has been asking me to make it.  The fun thing about this book is that there is a recipe for it at the end, so finally, after two years of him asking, I made it for dinner.

Here I am cooking the bean sprouts

Waiting in anticipation

 Ta-da!

It's basically a rice bowl with beef, egg, and vegetables that you're supposed to mix all together before you eat it, and the kids absolutely loved it.  Brighton even had two servings, which is pretty rare!  It makes me happy that they are becoming such foodies.