Letters

Aaron installed new blinds in a couple of our bedrooms. I haven't really worked on teaching Lavender her letters yet, but I know she recognizes her favorite letter "L." So I showed her this box and asked, can you find the "L"?

She pointed to each letter in order and explained:
L - That's an L
E - That's an F
V - A "W"
O - "ahh"
L - An L
O - Another "ahh"
R - And RYAN!!

Pretty darn close!

A Prize Winning Trip to the Fair

So Evan took a textile screen printing class at the community college this semester. He made several cool shirts, some tote bags and even pillowcases. He entered a couple of them in the fair and he won! He also got an "A" in the class to boot!  

The award ceremony was scheduled for a Saturday morning in June. Evan received tickets for free admission to the fair, but John and I weren't able to go because we were attending a wedding. Evan decided to take his two favorite girls to the fair and they were probably more fun than mom and dad anyway.  

They all wore the awesome shirts that Evan made for our family. Don't they look great?

Here is another shirt that Evan made. He also made tote bags with this design for the girls in my Eternal Warriors class.  Evan is an Eternal Warriors graduate who loves the program.

 This shows the certificates and ribbons he received. He made the white shirt behind him.

He also made the black shirt above him. It is kind of hard to see, but it's a cool design.  He shined a bright light through a glass blown vase and photographed it. Then he edited the photo to create his design.

Wish we could have been there with him on his special day!

Lavender was excited to get to feed the cow . . .

 . . . and the goat!

She had a great time walking hand in hand with her big brother and sissy. They rode down a giant slide, ate corn dogs and fries and had a great time.

So much fun that she and Peter had to take a nap on the way home! A big thanks to Evan for a great trip to the fair!

When Three Year Olds FaceTime

Lots of silly faces, laughter and very little conversation--especially when Leighton pulls her favorite trick of clicking the mute button! These girls sure do miss each other. They always ask if we can come over tomorrow. When I say it's too far, Lavender has an easy solution. We'll just go to the airport and get on a plane. No problem! Life is pretty simple when you're three.

Why Wait?

In some places, school is already out and summer has begun! Around here, school is still in session and the weather has been cool and rainy. I took advantage of this "May gray" to try out a new chili recipe and make some of our favorite soups. Soup may not seem like summertime food, but I think summertime is the perfect time to break out the crock pot and avoid heating up the house. That means you don't have to wait until autumn to try out these delicious sweet potato recipes.

Sweet Potato Chili

1 pkg ground turkey
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14 oz cans tomato sauce
1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2 large sweet potatoes peeled and diced
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt (add 1 more if you like, we are low salt, GF and dairy free here!)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano

Brown meat and then add all ingredients to crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Enjoy!

Moroccan Curry Soup

3 cups chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato peeled and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
2 Granny Smith apples, diced
7 oz can diced green chiles
1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 14 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 14 oz can coconut milk
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours

Before serving add:
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 cups baby spinach

First Love

This afternoon Lavender gave her big brother Aaron a hug and then asked me, "When we grow up, can we get married like you and daddy?"

"You can get married when you grow up, but not to Aaron. You will marry some who isn't your brother. Someone tall and strong and good like Aaron."

"How about Evan?"

"No. Evan is tall and strong and good, but you can only marry someone who isn't your brother."

"I know! Ryan!"

"Ryan is your brother too. You can't marry him. You can marry someone who is little right now, but when you grow up, he will be big and strong and good. Doesn't that sound great?"

"No!" She gave me an exasperated look and snuggled up to Aaron.

More Sweet Dreams

Lavender gave up her (okay, actually it was MY) beloved nap right around the time she turned three. She had previously been a champion napper, so it was tough for me to give up 2+ hours of quiet time each day! Now she only naps if she happens to be in the car in the early afternoon. It doesn't usually work out for me, but once in awhile the stars align.

Today we hopped in the car around 1:30 to take cousin Cammi (world's best playmate & mother's helper) home. It takes about 30 seconds to drive to Cammi's house, so we were back in our driveway lickety-split. Lavender asked me if we were going to the store. I told her "no." Then she asked a question that really surprised me:

"Will you just drive around so I can sleep?"

I quickly agreed, and she began singing to herself. After a five minute drive around the neighborhood, she was out! I got to read my scriptures, check my email and work on the laundry in blissful peace and quiet. A good afternoon for both of us!

Before and After

This girl LOVES her babies and animals! Marie is obviously the favorite though, since she gets tucked under the covers.