sunshine + snow

highlights of the week:

- james having monday off! we went to see the greatest showman again, this time with brooklyn and kendall in tow. to say they loved it is an understatement! we listen to the album in the car, at home, and their grandparents' houses as well.

- i accomplished something at the gym that seemed impossible to me a few months ago.

- i lucked out and got to go see it again a third time with chelsea late tuesday night. such a fun movie to go to again and again!

- brooklyn had monday and tuesday off from school and i loved having her home!!!

- thursday i went to a girls' night with friends i haven't seen in forever!

- friday night we went up to coalville to support the lady braves + coach holmes and have a sleepover at my parents'. the girls had been begging!

- my mom spoiled us with crepes saturday morning that were too too good!

aside from all the good stuff, the younger two girls have been fighting the worst coughs. they sound horrible and i know they've been a little miserable. not to mention, adalyn is getting teeth and has an ear infection. i kept them away from people as much as possible and i'm hoping they'll be able to join regular society in the next couple of days.

unfortunately, i caught their cough and was down and out most of the weekend. moms should not get sick! that's the second saturday in a row james has had to step up and take care of all of us. i'm so grateful to him for that!

one of the highlights of the week not mentioned above was going to the park thursday afternoon. it was the most beautiful day! my girls were in heaven swinging, climbing, and running outside.

fast forward to the weekend's snow storm!!! my girls were even more excited about the snow than they were the sunshine. they definitely don't have spring fever like their mama. they could hardly wait to be suited up in all their snow gear and go out and play in the white stuff.

this was adi's first time and we loved watching her try to maneuver in that snow suit. cutest thing!

she loved eating the snow and being pulled around in the sled with her sisters. then, her daddy pushed her in the swing and it was all belly laughs!

the veterans: brooklyn and kendall had a blast making snow angels, also eating the snow, and just being outside playing in it! they were so happy!

then, it got dark and cold. james took them to nana's for some delicious hot chocolate and the night was perfect to them. it's all about the simple things!

so while i'm jonesing for spring to get here quickly, i'm also super happy for the moisture and the joy this snow brings with it! i imagine i'll be suiting the girls up a few more times this week and that effort really is all worth it. 

friday recap

(she'll be 8 months next week!!!)

happy friday! and hopefully yours is going more quickly than mine. is it five o'clock yet?!

in all seriousness, i'm so excited to share something my friends and i just started doing! i saw a little video from studio 5 about a salad swap and i totally roped my friends into doing it! we each choose a day, make up 8 salads (that includes ourselves), and drop them off around lunch time to everyone in the salad swap. it's the best thing ever! because seriously, eating what my kids eat every day for lunch isn't my favorite. so this has totally spiced up lunch a little bit and it's been so nice to do in such a cold drab month like january. so if you're even thinking this sounds like something you want to do, DO IT! do it at work, in your neighborhood, send around a sign up in relief society! a salad once or twice a week at your door step is da bomb!

i went first, ya know, since i started it and all. i went really simple with my salad and did chicken and lots of veggies, some cheese, and sunflower seeds. the dressing i chose was the brianna's rich poppy seed.

my sister in law chelsea did a southwest salad that was hearty and so good!

yesterday's salad was a strawberry spinach salad that was delish! look at that!

and while i'm on the topic of food... my in laws have introduced us to the best oatmeal on the planet! coach's oats. they get it at their local costco in hawaii for a dang good deal. none of the costcos around me carry it, but you can buy it on amazon. it's really the best. we love it with a little brown sugar and topped with slivered almonds!



brooklyn has entered the wonderful world of spelling tests! i've been so proud of her! definitely fridge worthy.

this past week i started shortening kendall's naps. she's been my best sleeper hands down! but she likes to take a good long nap during the day and it makes for a really late night and bedtime fights with her. she didn't like being awakened the first day, but she's been a pretty good sport about it since. it just really makes bedtime for her so much easier!

this morning, i turned on the presidential inauguration and had my girls sit down to at least watch the tabernacle choir's number and for the national anthem. i don't care who is president. i want my girls to be patriotic, proud of their country, and upstanding citizens. they can make their own little corner of this country great. i talked to them a little about that today, mostly brooklyn really, but i think it's important they know that their happiness is not in the hands of others. they can do great things because they want to! brooklyn had lots of questions and it was nice to have a good conversation about those kind of things with her. and my heart swelled with pride to watch them with their little hands over their hearts during the national anthem. our country is great and we are so lucky to live here!

this weekend we're looking forward to some cleaning (ya right!), possibly some taxes, a date night, church, and hopefully some good food in between all of it!

happy weekending!