Paint Mines

Saturday:

• Katie found out she’s accepted to BYU!!
• Dad went over to the Family History Center to scan more pictures
• Megan got together with Natalie to work on a school project
• I took pictures of Katie and we both texted all of our closest friends and family to share the news.
• We decided to head to Paint Mines -- a fun place to hike around about 40 minutes from here.  The weather was gorgeous and it was so good to get out into the fresh air and spend some time together.  I love exploring a new place.  
• Dad watched a BYU basketball game
• I finished up my lesson for combined YW's on ‘How the Savior can help us through our Trials’.
• Katie went on a date with Brandon and friends
• Emily, Megan, Dad and I played a game of ISTANBUL – It was a great day!!

 

Such cool rock formations.  It was a great place to wander around.

Katie’s Acceptance to BYU

Friday afternoon I met Dad up in Denver and we went to the temple to do a session.  Then we headed home to spend the evening with Katie.  Friday was the 'BYU Acceptance Letter Day' and Katie's friend heard from a friend that they would start sending out emails at 5:00pm.   Katie checked a few times that day but didn't worry about it too much.  5:00 came and went and she hadn't heard anything.  Dad, Katie and I went out to dinner to Modern Market  and decided to leave all of our cell phones in the car so we wouldn't be distracted by every sound or vibration.  We had a great dinner. 

We got back to the car and checked.... nothing.  We decided to watch a chick flick -- the Notebook, to distract us.  Emily and Megan watched with us.   Then we checked again... nothing.  At 10:30 Dad and I were on Katie's bed Katie refreshing her BYU account and Dad checking Cougar Board to see what funny things other BYU Dad's were posting about NOT getting application letters yet.  Everyone was a bit frustrated and it was a little stressful. 

Finally at 11:00 Katie and I decided to head to bed.  Dad stayed up until 1:00 randomly checking with no success.   I woke up at 4:45 and couldn't get back to sleep. I tried for a bit and finally decided to wake Dad up to see if he knew.  He checked again.  The system was still down.  It took us a while to finally fall asleep.  At 6:30 Katie got a text from a Daylee saying that the emails had been sent out.  Katie checked immediately and then printed out her acceptance letter, got all the kids dressed in their BYU shirts and came in to wake us up.  It was SO EXCITING!!!    What a sight to wake up to!

So Katie will go to BYU summer semester -- which starts June 26th and goes until August 16th.   So exciting!! : )

Dad was so excited he decided to go put the BYU flag up!

So proud of you Kates!! #byubound

Everyday Life–February

Lots of great stuff happening this month. 

• We are still on a big ‘Minimalism’ kick and spent lots of time listening to The Minimalist podcasts, going through closets and getting rid of things, reorganizing, working on spending more intentionally and having lots of great discussions with the kids – an especially great one on credit card debt and debt in general. 
• We went to the BYU Living Legends Show as a family and then hosted three of the performers and crew at our house.  Fun to meet them and have them stay.
• Katie, Emily, Megan, Luke and Matt had fun with Swing classes.
• Megan played in some futsal games on Saturdays.
• Katie hosted a big teen Valentine Party on the 9th.  Fun kids and lots of great treats.
• Fun family dinner on Valentine’s day complete with Nothing Bundt mini cupcakes for dessert.  Then a few small gifts for my kids: Katie – journals, Emily – A BYU sweatshirt,  Megan – a new bathing suit from Downeast,  Matt and Luke – new ties for church.  Chris gave me a wonderful card with $50 towards a camera lens that I’m getting excited to buy. : )
• Chris and I went to the High Priest Social at the Brady’s home.  Fun to hang out with the Theurers and Jacksons and Swenson's.  We ate Mexican and played Reverse Charades.
• Matt celebrated Anders 9th birthday and went to THE GREATEST SHOWMAN again.
• I had lunch with Saralyn Campbell and friends at Salsa Brava to celebrate her birthday.
• I had lunch with Emma Patterson and friends at Thai Mint to celebrate her birthday.
• Ashlyn and boys came for President’s Day weekend.  So much fun.
• Megan played in a Soccer Tournament up in Denver – just one game though since the Monday game was cancelled because of freezing temperatures and ice on the field.
• Katie and Emily performed in the Pine Creek Choir Spring Concert.  Always fun to hear them and see so many friends.
• Fun lunch with Ali at Panera Bread.

Luke had to make a Valentine box this year so we worked on making a shark one together.

We didn’t watch as much of the Winter Olympics as we have in the past but it was fun to have it on now and then to watch different things.

One Sunday Sister Godfrey came to visit us.  She was one of the missionaries from the Adriatic South Mission and served with Ryan in several locations.  She brought us some Christmas gifts from Ryan.  Fun to talk with her and open the presents that Ryan had picked out for us.

Ryan found the girls these cute Albanian bags.  Sister Godfrey told us that many of the Sister Missionaries used them for scripture bags.

He gave the boys this carved turtle and Dad, this wood carved BYU sign – designed and made my someone he knew in Tirana.

I got a book of watercolor paintings of places in Albania.  Very cool.

One Saturday we spent a good portion of the day going through old pictures.  Dad is on a real organizing and scanning phase right now.  We had the girls help us which was so great.  They put all the pictures in date order, and got rid of duplicates.  We found bins and bins full of pictures.  After all the organization Dad spent several sessions scanning them at the Family History Library and organizing them on our external hard drives.  Feels so good to be organized – and be ‘minimizing’ the things in our house. 

Matthew’s Book Report diorama about sharks…