Spring Weekend

Today, a rainy and gray day, is the beginning of spring break. Monday, which has snow in the forecast, is the last day of spring break. That's right, instead of a traditional spring break, we have a four-day weekend.

But wait, you might be saying, have't you had a ton of snow days? Doesn't that make up for such a short break? Well, I guess it could if we were just looking at days off from school. Except that snow days are unexpected and generally keep you at home. Spring break holds the possibility of adventure outside the house. And we may still fit in some adventure, that's to be determined, but it will be a low-key adventure at best.

It's a good thing the Saturday and Sunday of spring break are two of my favorite days of the year. We are all excited that it's General Conference weekend. Sophie even included her anticipation in her personal prayers one night this week when she said she was thankful that it was almost General Conference. And General Conference on Easter? That's even more spectacular.

The Character

All I said was, "Sophie, look up!"

Zoobies

On Saturday Cooper and I joined some of the Cub Scouts for a trip to the local zoo. As you can see from the pictures, there was still quite a bit of snow left over from the storm that came through last week. We kept moving and stayed warm enough. Also, three hours of walking was a good way to wipe out this pregnant lady for the rest of the day.

We stayed an extra thirty minutes just so we could go into the giraffe enclosure and see those tall creatures up close and in person. The other two scouts were ready to head home earlier but Cooper pushed for us to stay. That activity ended up being a highlight of the visit.

I learned that Cooper really loves zoos. He said they're on his top three list of places to visit.

The Forgetful

There are several aspects of this pregnancy that have been similar to the previous pregnancies I've had. And then there are other features that feel different. I was nauseated just like the other times, but it lasted a full twenty weeks this time. I had jumpy legs and heartburn with Sophie, but both are much more pronounced this time. I've had migraines with the other pregnancies, and with the girls there was much more pain, but I've started having a few per week this time around, which is wearing me out and making it hard to think straight.

Another thing making thinking difficult is pregnancy brain. I'm lucky that I've remembered what time to get the kids to and from the bus each day. I work to answer kids' questions and I feel like information that I used to have has fallen out of my head. I tried to explain a medical condition to a friend on Saturday and I felt shockingly inarticulate. It's like my faithful cache of words has taken a vacation and left me unable to express myself effectively.

I guess it's nice to have a solid excuse to be spacey, but I think I'd rather stop forgetting, you know, everything.

Pictures With Grandparents

 

Proud Proprietors of the Extended Stay Hotel

After spending February and much of March with us, my Grandma Bonnie is heading home tomorrow.

My parents flew out last week to visit and to fly back home with her. Their original flight was supposed to leave on Tuesday morning. We had a special Family Home Evening recital for the kids to play the piano and sing for them the night before the departure.

Then, at nearly eleven o'clock that night, my parents walked into the kitchen where I was having a snack before climbing into bed. They told me that the flight had been canceled due to the impending storm and was rescheduled for early Thursday morning. After some discussion, Bryan said he'd drive them to the airport the day of the flight so they could return the rental car.

So on Tuesday morning we adventured to the airport an hour and a half away. They returned the car and Sophie and I picked them up and came home, with a detour to Ikea thrown in for fun. We had a few flakes that day and prepared for the big snow the next day.

I am happy to report that my parents were able to experience their first snow days. And bonus: the power stayed on!

Then word came that the Thursday flight would actually happen on Saturday morning. We haven't heard anything to the contrary so far, and it's not snowing, so I assume this flight is moving forward.

We have loved having these extra days with them. I know they're anxious to get back to their responsibilities, but we will miss having them here. Tonight at bedtime Sophie told Grandma Bonnie that she didn't want her to go home. I know the feeling.

Oh Look, Another Snow Day

 

Wintery Spring

We had a fun snow day at home. As of 6PM tonight, we had seven inches of snow. It's supposed to keep snowing until at least midnight. 

These are Bryan's footprints on the deck from when he went out to measure the snow.

Guess who's getting another snow day tomorrow?

Four'easter

Last winter was fairly mild. We didn't get a big snow storm until mid-March. This winter is apparently trying to make up for it. We're under a Winter Storm Warning and may receive ten inches of snow. This is the fourth nor'easter we've had since the beginning of the year.

I'm ready for spring.

St. Patrick's Day Dancers

 

A Wrinkle in Filmmaking

Tonight we saw the Disney adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time. I understand that books and movies are different mediums and have storytelling requirements unique to each. I also understand that it's hard to fairly judge a movie based on my favorite book.

That said, it wasn't great.

I won't spoil anything, but I will say that it didn't have much in the way of rising action. Or climax. Or character development. Or explanation of plot points. Or magic inherent in the book.

But it was very pretty and colorful, so that's something.

Knit Together

Grandma taught Phoebe how to knit hats using this loom. Phoebe has happily been telling anyone who will listen that she loves to knit. When we talked about Grandma going home soon Phoebe said, "No! I don't want Grandma to leave! She taught me how to knit!"

The Rainbow Fish

I went to Phoebe's parent/teacher conference today and was pleased to learn that Phoebe is still a delightful and intelligent student. In addition to all the lovely things I heard, I got to check out Phoebe's contribution to the school art show. Apparently the first graders made fish.

Giant Photobombing

Off-roading Grandma

Peter went on a Boy Scout campout this weekend to the Priesthood Restoration site. While we were discussing those plans, I realized that the visitor's center was new enough that Grandma hadn't been. So on Saturday morning we drove up. We arrived shortly before the scouts left and said a quick hello to Peter before he carried on with his plans.

There was quite a bit of snow and lots of walking outside, so we were concerned about how Grandma would get around. Thankfully, they had a special off-roading Jazzy, which meant Grandma traveled in style. The helpful senior missionary couple that gave us a tour were thoroughly impressed with Grandma's get-up-and-go.

We had to remind Sophie to give Grandma a wide space to drive so as to avoid any vehicle pedestrian collisions.

The air was cold, but we moved briskly enough that we didn't get too chilly between buildings.

Here's Grandma in Emma Smith's father Isaac Hale's home.

It was a wonderful adventure and just the right length of time. We got back to town a few minutes after the scouts so we were able to retrieve our exhausted Peter from the church.

My favorite part of the day was when the sister missionary asked the kids if they had a favorite scripture from the Book of Mormon. They recited our family scripture, Moroni 7:45, from memory. I hadn't realized they had it all memorized and hearing them made my heart happy.

The Tater Tot Warriors

Thankfully, though our power was out on Saturday, the electricity was still on at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. We had been planning this visit to the science museum for weeks, it worked out well that we needed to be out of the house anyway that day. My brother Jordan and his new bride Leah drove up from Maryland and met us for a fun day.

The kids loved this climbing net meant to teach about the connections in the brain.

Cooper, Leah, Jordan and Sophie all snagged a picture with Mr. Franklin himself.

Bryan was amused that all the kids wanted to try the Virtual Reality headsets at the museum, even though he has one they could use at home.

Look! Proof we were there!

I spent most of my time visiting and not much of it taking pictures. Jordan and Leah had to leave early to get Leah to work on-time. Thankfully we got this picture before they left. Thanks for coming to see us guys!

After that we spent some time learning about (and climbing around) the heart.

And then we studied simple machines. This was one of my favorite exhibits.

We finally made it to the main museum attraction for the day: the traveling display of the world famous Terracotta Warriors from China. Or, as Cooper called them, the tater tot warriors. This was the penultimate day of the exhibit and we were pleased that we'd gotten some of the last tickets available. At three-hundred pounds each, they were quite impressive to behold.

This is what two-thirds of a selfie looks like. Sorry Phoebe...

Did you hear about the guy who attended a private party at the Franklin Institute and decided to take one of the warriors thumbs as a souvenir? Notice that this warrior is missing a thumb? I don't know if it's the same statute, but I do wonder.

The kids tried their hands at building their own warriors.

Grandma really loved seeing the warriors. Cooper was less enthusiastic. This is the best facial expression I could get out of him. The next day he started running a fever, so this may have been germ-induced grumpiness.

The detail was amazing, especially considering they're all more than two thousand years old. The statues, not the museum patrons.

We're so happy we took the time to see the warriors, but even happier that we made time to see Uncle Jordan and Aunt Leah.

The Most Important Work

This Doctor Makes House Calls

We had our second snow day of the week today. We were supposed to get a massive storm, and many people over in New Jersey got the foot of snow that was predicted. But it kind of skirted us and we only got a few inches. I'm not complaining though, we still all stayed home and the power didn't even go out this time, both wins in my book.

Cooper finally caught the flu that most of us already had. He's definitely been sick since Sunday and was possibly coming down with it on Saturday. Yesterday, when Peter and Phoebe went to school, Cooper stayed home. He's benefited from these two snow days since he would have needed to take them as sick days anyway.

This morning Cooper was convalescing on the couch when  Dr. Sophie came to take care of him. She was such an attentive caretaker that Cooper finally had to shoo her off.

It Grows When You Share It

Last night for Family Home Evening we had our own family testimony meeting. We talked about what a testimony is and about the structure. We emphasized a focus on the Savior and on being succinct. Then we each bore our testimonies.

It may be my favorite FHE we've ever had. The Spirit was strong and sweet and I know that I'm not the only one who felt it. I'd like to do this again soon.

Bomb Cyclone

Today I am thankful for heat and electricity. We were without both for more than twenty-four hours this weekend thanks to the "bomb cyclone" nor'easter that hit most of this coast on Friday. Wild and ferocious winds whipped snow and tree limbs to the ground and helped knock out power to half a million people.

Our power flickered on and off at least a dozen times on Friday morning, and I began to think we would be spared from the predicted power outages since it kept coming back on. Then, around 1PM, the power went out and stayed out. We read books and played imagination games and completed as much homework as we could. We ate tuna sandwiches for dinner by the last rays of sunlight coming through the windows and got ready for bed by flashlight.

We all gradually added more layers as the temperature inside the house dropped. My California Grandma was wrapped up like the little match girl by the time we all headed to sleep at 9 o'clock. To keep us warm Bryan slept with the boys in their big bed and the girls slept with me in mine. I covered Grandma with so many blankets that she had to push some off in the night.

This is what snuggling with your sister for warmth under several blankets looks like.

Good news, when we woke up at 6:30 the next morning the temperature inside the house had only dropped down to 57 degrees, a chilly but still safe number. We shivered and chattered and got ourselves out of the house and into Philadelphia in search of a museum that still had electricity and warmth.

The original estimate was that we wouldn't get power back on until Wednesday. Wednesday seemed like it was a long way away. We even booked a hotel starting Sunday night, just in case the power didn't come back on. Thankfully, mid-afternoon on Saturday I got a text from my neighbor telling me that the power was back on. It took us several more hours to finish our adventure and get back home, but when we walked into a warm house, I almost cried from relief.

I've been thankful ever since for simple things like overhead lights in the bathroom and the ability to watch a movie as a family in our living room. As of church yesterday, there were still at least twenty families without power and enough school personal stuck on closed roads that school was canceled for today. I have been saying prayers of gratitude for power and the people that worked hard to bring it back to us.

The Rocket

Cooper earned his Bear in Cub Scouts and joined the Webelos just a bit shy of his birthday. I'm one of the leaders for that group, so it's been fun having him with me for the last few weeks. We've been working on the science pin, so last week we built rockets and this week we launched them.

There are three Webelos and they were joined by parents and siblings for the launch. This is Cooper's second attempt. His first one got pretty high, but the second went so far up that I lost sight of it. When the camera comes down, the siblings are all visible trying to catch the falling rocket in the distance.