Spring Break

The kids were all excited about going to Myrtle Beach for the weekend to go camping and then the forecast came back with cold and wet.  We had to change our plans at the last minute by moving our reservation to August for the beach.  It was freeze or fry and we chose fry.  I will let you know how that one turns out later this summer.  I am still excited.

Naomi's big news is that she moved up another size in bikes and this one has a hand break.  She feels like she is entering the world of big girl bikes.  The next step is gears.  She is growing way too fast. 

Although the weather was cold and slightly (okay, really) wet we took advantage of the time together and goofed off.  Steve already had the time scheduled off and we didn't want to waste that.  Nicholas and I really wanted to go to the Auto Fair at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  We have wanted to go for years, but have always been busy on the weekend it was being held.  NOT THIS YEAR!!  We all packed ourselves up and headed to the speedway.  It was tons of fun and we saw some really great cars.  I wouldn't be surprised if Nicholas decides to go to a vocational college and learn how to be a race car mechanic.  He was out of his mind excited about getting to see all these great cars so close up.  Some of them were for sale and I could almost see him formulating a plan to save up the money so that when he turns sixteen (YIKES!)  he can bring his cash to the show and get himself a car.  We also got to see Elvis' Lincoln Continental.  That was really cool as well.  I can continue to describe it or I can just show you the pictures. 

There were cars everywhere.  Some of them were just there for show and others were for sale.  We had a great time looking under the hood and into the cars.  One of our favorites (which I don't have a picture of for some unknown reason) was a Corvette with the coolest paint job.  At first we thought it was a deep purple, but as we got closer it turned to a deep green.  It was waaaaay cool. 

 

We all entered the drawing to win the car behind Naomi.  It was filled with Matchbox cars and we had to guess how many there were. 

 

This car reminds me of my Grandma Hansen!

Naomi really liked Grandma's car as well.  She said it looked really cool.

 

Standing at the top of the speedway at turn 3.  It doesn't look as steep as it was. 

 

The view from the top of turn 3.

Nick loved getting into this car.  The gentleman who built it worked as a pit crew member for years and then decided to start building his own cars. He loves it and it pays the bills. Talking to this gentleman only made Nicholas more excited about building a car of his own. 

Naomi's turn. 

Jeremy's turn.

 

If this was the bus to school I don't think the kids would be complaining at all.

 

 



Easter Sunday

 

 

Easter Sunday was a lot of fun.  The Easter Bunny hid eggs for the kids.  We went to church in the afternoon and then came home to a ham dinner with all the fixins'.  You could say it was a huge hit.  I got to teach the lesson in primary and had a great time with the kids talking about all the wonderful things Heavenly Father has given us to remind us that we are loved by Him and Jesus.  At the end of the lesson I gave each of them an empty egg and told them that inside was the greatest gift Heavenly Father and Jesus had or ever will give us.  They were disappointed at first but then quickly understood that the empty tomb and Jesus' sacrifice on the cross so we could have eternal life was the greatest gift ever given.  I love these kids.  Their faces lit up when they got to tell their parents about the empty egg and the empty tomb and that is what Easter is really all about.  Kids are the best. 

 

Below are some highlights from the day.  

I think the kids found their Easter eggs in record time this year.  They are already in a sugar coma!!




All dressed up for church



Egg Head!!!!

 





Our bunny rolls were a hit. 

 

We also dyed Easter eggs.  We have never done this before because of allergies, but this year it was a must on Naomi's list. 

Nick Finally Gets to go Camping

Nicholas has been waiting for a year to be able to go camping with the Boy Scout Troop.  He got his wish shortly after crossing over to the troop.  We got him all packed up and ready to go and he had an absolute blast.  He loved the hiking and the camping and the cooking over a fire and everything about it except that it was too short of a time.  I guess that is a good thing.  He is already looking forward to the next troop campout which isn't for three or four months.  We will just have to do some family camping to help satisfy him until then.


















His pack is almost bigger than he is, but that did not deter him from getting to the campsite and having a wonderful weekend.

Daddy/Daughter Dance - A Masquerade in Paris

Naomi has been looking forward to this dance since she found out it existed last year when her friend, who attended public school, told her about her "date" with her daddy. Naomi wanted to know why she didn't get to go to the dance with HER daddy.  I told her the dance was for little girls who went to Highland Creek Elementary.   I am suspicious that this dance is the reason Naomi decided to attend public school this year.  Needless to say, she has been waiting FOREVER to go to this dance.  We found her perfect dress weeks ago and she has been regularly taking it out of her closet, looking at it and anticipating the night she got to put it on and go to the dance.  After her awesome soccer game, she left the field without even saying goodbye to anyone or pausing for her snack (GASP!!! That never happens) and ran straight to the truck so she would have plenty of time to get all ready for her "date".  

Back at home, we did her hair up in braids and ribbons.  She put on her dress and patiently waited in her room until Daddy was ready.  Earlier in the week she had picked out what she wanted Steve to wear so that the night would be perfect.  Part of her planning involved a dramatic reveal of her beautiful dress and making a grand entrance down the stairs.  Steve gave all the appropriate "Ooooos" and "Ahhhhhs".  After a picture in front of the fireplace (old tradition from the Weenig family) they were off to the dance.  

At the school, they handed in their tickets and received a passport and a beautiful masquerade mask for Naomi.  The gym was decorated like Paris and there was a cupcake bar, candy station and a photo booth.  The DJ was playing music that was fun for everyone. At each station, Naomi got her passport stamped.  They had a great time dancing and goofing off.  After the dance, which went from 4-6, Steve took her to Steak N Shake for dinner.  When they got back home, both of them were all smiles.  I'd say the night was a huge success.  In fact, Naomi is already looking forward to the dance next year!!

How to Catch a Leprechaun

In case you didn't catch that or you would like to construct one of your own, here is a step-by-step tutorial of the process.

 Here is Naomi's leprechaun trap.  Create a cylinder using green construction paper with a base so the tricky little guy cannot escape out of the bottom.  

Using a bright piece of construction paper, so as to catch the leprechaun's eye, create a sign inviting the curious fellow to climb your ladder made of paper clips.   

 Suspend a shiny, golden object to one end of a string and hang it about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way down.  When the leprechaun reaches the top of the ladder he will see the shiny, golden object and want it.  He will then jump down to retrieve it.  When he does....

 ...he will pull the lid shut on himself.  As you can see the lid is attached to the other end of the string.  Brilliant!!  You have just caught your first leprechaun.  Now he will have to tell you where his pot of gold is!!

Ta-Da! Happy hunting!!!

Learning New Things

March seems to be a month where all of us are learning new things.  It is exciting, fun, frustrating, confidence-depleting and building at the same time (it IS possible) and at times exhausting!!!

Steve is learning to juggle work (with its many new and exciting tasks), scoutmaster responsibilities, being a daddy and husband, and trying to grow and expand himself as a person.  Thank goodness he has found a way to incorporate several of these things into one.  He has decided that as a reward for each scout who earns their Eagle, he will give them a custom-made knife to commemorate their accomplishment.  He is hand-carving the handle and tooling the leather for the holder.  This is something he has never done before and is excited to take on the challenge.

I have been asked by the Relief Society presidency to make the baby gifts for all the babies born into our ward this year.  The crocheted socks for the girls is a no-brainer.  I LOVE making these (thank you Sharron for teaching me how).  The gift for the boys has been a little more of a challenge.  I found the cutest pattern for "dude" bibs and have struggled with putting together different fabric patterns and choices as well as following the directions which have proven to be a little cryptic.  I am proud to say that I stuck to it and the bibs turned out really cute.

All they need now is a tag for the pocket that says, "FUTURE MISSIONARY". 

I am also learning how to deal with seven three-year-olds during singing time and class time.  It has been a long time since my mind has had to think at this level and it is hard going back.  I have the cutest kids in my sunbeams class, but I have forgotten just how much energy they have and how much work and patience it takes to keep that energy focused.  Sister Cobb and I will get it all worked out eventually.  This is exhausting!!

Jeremy learned that he does NOT like track. He went to the first two days of tryouts and came home completely exhausted and in pain.  We talked about it and decided that he had put 100% effort into trying out and he was not going to enjoy being on the track team.  This helped him out of a scheduling bind he was in as well.  He had committed to the school play as a stage crew member and due to a delay in the track tryouts, the two were overlapping.  Jeremy was relieved to not have to choose.  I am so proud of him from trying out.  He had an interest in track and wanted to see if it was for him.  He stuck it out through the whole first two days of tryouts before realizing this was not his thing.  This was frustrating and confident-depleting!  

The next day when I got to school to pick up Jeremy he was a completely different kid.  He had been through his first day of stage crew and LOVED it.  There is always something to do and he feels like he is really contributing.  His first comment to me after buckling his seat belt was , "Somebody told me 'Good Job!' today and it wasn't because what I did sucked and they were trying to make me feel better.  It was because I really did a good job."   I think he has found his niche.  What started out  as an apparent failure turned into something that was very confidence-building.

Nicholas is learning the ropes of being a new Boy Scout and is excited about all the new things he is learning and will be learning.   He also FINALLY got a basketball hoop and can be found out back shooting hoops whenever he has a spare minute.  He skills are growing daily and he is having a blast.  He has also been invited to attend after-school tutoring for the upcoming End of Grade tests.  This is the first year he will be taking this type of test and he was very nervous about not doing well.  His grades in every subject are strong, but the teacher recognized his anxiety and sent him a special invitation to the sessions to help him with his confidence.  He is relieved and thrilled. 

Naomi is in soccer again this season, after taking a couple of seasons off.  She has found that she really does love to play the game and that if she pushes herself just a little bit harder she can excel at both defense AND offense.  She scored the first goals of the season for her team.  In fact, they were the only goals of the game for her team.  Once that first goal went in, she instantly forgot about how tired she was and put all her energy into making sure her team won the game.  This has translated over into other areas of her life as well.  She is more willing to push herself just to see what she really can accomplish.  

As you can see, we are all trying to better ourselves a little each day.  We are rising to the challenges and facing them with courage, perseverance, patience and hope.  In the process we are discovering that once we tell ourselves we can do it, we actually can do it.  Success is contagious!!!

Wacky Wednesday

In honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday, Naomi's class celebrated with something Seuss each day for the whole week.  Wednesday was Wacky Wednesday and she was thrilled to be able to dress wacky and wear her hair wacky and have it be normal.   She pulled out all the stops for this one!!!  As you can see, she is completely enjoying school and all the fun things they get to do.