Odds and Ends

Here's what we've been up to, in no particular order...

-I am almost done decorating the girls' rooms! Jane's is done, but I haven't taken pictures of it yet. I'll wait until Cora's room is finished, then I'll do one triumphant post detailing both. My next project is painting the living room, kitchen and front room. I can't wait to get it all done and pretty. I need happy colors in here!

-We took a few pictures one Sunday after church. March 8, specifically.

Sweet Oliver no longer likes to be called "Ollie". He always corrects me when I mistakenly call him the wrong name.


I actually had time to curl the girls' hair that day, so I had to be sure and document it.

I found this adorable sundress for Jane. Soon she can lose the sweater so we can fully enjoy the cuteness of the dress.


Cora sure is growing up pretty.



Ryan's parents went on a trip to Arizona the end of February. They brought us a box of chocolates from Trader Joe's. Mmmmm... I've been hiding them, savoring one or two at a time on quiet afternoons when Oliver is napping and the girls are at school. Naughty mommy. As I was returning them to their secret spot one day, I carefully dumped the box on the rug. Dang it. Now I have no idea which one is which! Good thing there aren't any yucky ones.


Here's what Ryan set out for me on Valentine's Day morning. Can't go wrong with chocolate! Neither of us care for V-day, for different reasons, so it was nice to get it out of the way first thing in the morning, deleting any possible stress from the remainder of the day. Before I noticed what was on the table, I presented Ryan with the box of donuts I'd hidden for him. (Yes, I like to hide stuff.) He smiled and directed my attention to the table. Awww, how sweet. What a nice, even exchange.
(I did give the kids little gifts, too.)


I didn't include this picture in my earlier "Ryan Can Draw" post. He had it put away somewhere and I'd forgotten about it. Isn't it cool? Look at all the detail. He must have spent forever on the chain mail around the middle guy's middle.


Per Stacie's request- Here's a pic of the sectional we got for our bonus room. It's quite comfy.


I bought these tulips a while back for muhself. I love tulips!


Here's Cora's "reading face". She looks so calmly intrigued. It's hard to get her to put down a book. Speaking of Cora, she got accepted into the Challenge Program (like GATE) at school. She's one smart cookie. I'm so glad she's doing so well in school. I always had a hard time focusing and "getting" concepts. I wonder what it's like to be really smart.


Oliver still plays with his tracks every day! We all take turns helping him build. This time Daddy helped.

He loves his train hat and wears it almost every day, even if it's only for a few minutes.


- I am now a Wolf Den (8-year-old scouts) leader in our new ward. So far, it's been good. But I haven't been in charge of a meeting yet. Cora thinks it's pretty funny that I have to work with the scouts. :) The first time I came to a den meeting, one of the scouts groaned, "Oh, no! More torture for us!" Little does he know. . . Mwah-ha-ha-ha!

- I am gearing up to go on another trip with my sisters in May! We are driving to Anaheim to see Glee Live! We are just a wee bit excited, like last year. While the TV show's writing has gone downhill this season, we still love (most of) the music and the characters, so the stage show will undoubtedly be amazing. Plus we're going to Disneyland! Erin has never been there, so she's pretty pumped. The whole trip promises to be a barrel of fun. I can't wait!