2 Willow Park

Last week when it was warm and sunny, we had a picnic in Logan.

The girls ran and giggled, sang and wiggled.
Even though our pathetic little "zoo" is basically a bird park, the girls like seeing all the different species. I even taught Allie a song I learning in preschool about 5 little ducks. We've been singing it all week long.

1 Morning fare

Our girls LOVE cold cereal!
Allie always requests Frosted Flakes.
Kylie always requests Rasin Bran.
Silly girls!

1 Watch out for worms

My trusty laptop failed this week due to a nasty virus, most likely the Conflicker Worm. If your machine starts misdirecting Google search links take immediate action! This thing is no joke! In an effort to ensure I was rid of the trouble, I attempted reformatting my entire hard drive and reinstall Windows XP. I was unsuccessful due to missing drivers and ended up having the nice guys at USU's help desk fix it up.



As I stared the marathon of reinstalling all my programs and files (thankfully I didn't lose anything!) Nate and I decided to pull the trigger and get my new laptop now based on the unofficial word that more grant funding is coming to support my job. We've been shopping for months and Nate has been patiently waiting to get some computer time to himself. Mostly, I really didn't want to put everything on the old laptop now just to turn around in a few weeks and take it off and set up a new machine. So here is my first post from my new brain. I feel like I'm 5 and its Christmas! Here's to learning Vista!

3 Since I thought I was going to be board this summer...

Last fall my wonderful father-in-law offered my sister-in-law, Maho, & I a strip of land on his Amalga farm to plan a garden. It sounded great back then, but now I'm getting a bit scared. The garden plot is 35 feet by 140 feet! Maho & I decided to split it down the middle and went to Anderson's Seed and Garden to get our seed yesterday afternoon. We were helped for TWO HOURS by the most helpful man. If you have any questions I highly suggest asking for Dan. So, what are we planting? Well, here's my half:

• 210 feet of corn (3 rows): half yellow Sugar Buns / half bicolor Optimum
• 34 tomato plants: half Better Boy / half Roma
• 3 zuchini sunner squash
  
• 3 fancy crookneck summer squash
• 3 Sweet Meat winter squash
• 4 early Butternut winter squash
• 3 Spaghetti winter squash
• 4 Watermellon
• 3 Cantalope
  
• 3 cucomber
• lots of Onions
• tons of Carrots
• 30 feet potatoes: half yukon golds / half reds (early & late)
  

If that sounds like not enough, don't worry...I still have the following at home:

• miles of strawberries
• letus
• cilantro
• peppers
• cherry tomtoes

Guess what I'll be doing all summer long?

Did you know corn needs to be planted 3 rows deep so that it will cross polinate itself? I didn 't.

6 Allie got a haircut

Our great neighbor and friend Hayley cut Allie's hair this week. I think it is darling and she loves it too. It doesn't get nearly so tangles as it used to and it looks so much thicker and healthier. I should have done it sooner!!! Now I just have to get Kylie taken care of. The poor kid looks like she has a mullet.

Here's our best buddy Ray over to play after preschool and the best shot I got of the sisters together

1 Drum roll please...

Here it is, the slide show from Baby Animal Days last week. I ended up uploaded my pics to THREE sites:

1. Picasa: love the program for basic photo fixes, and you can make movies, but not click-able
2. Flickr: after uploading the pic and making the show, it displayed 'images not available' when I put it in the post-ugh!
3. PictureTrail: finally success

Next time I'd like to try slide.com!

1 Must include this pic of my sisters and I

Somehow I missed posting this picture of me with my sisters for the day we did my grandfather's temple work last week.

We are in birth-order from right to left:

Ellen, Abby, Maren, Sarah

2 Good for a laugh

0 Easter Weekend 2009

This weekend we had lots of fun. Uncle Troy came with his girlfriend Heidi & her daughter Aliyah. Friday we went to the Baby Animal Days at the historical farm. Then on Saturday we hopped on down the bunny trail at Lee's grocery store and came home to dye eggs.

Baby Animal Days:

• Allie couldn't enjoy any of the smaller animals we saw early on, since she was so afraid I would forget to take her to the pony ride. Next year we'll do that FIRST. Maybe there will be less than an hour wait earlier in the day. After the long wait, the actual ride was pathetic, 3 times around the circle, but she loved it.
  
• Kylie was taken with the HUGE oxen. Seriously they were taller than my head! IMPRESSIVE. When we got to the small animals I took her granola bar away so she could hold a chick instead. WRONG MOVE! She threw a tantrum and shoved the animals away until she had her snack back in her hands.
• Allie was all smiles holding the little turtle, but when it moved she panicked and dropped it. She was embarrassed afterward and wouldn't hold it again. She was interested in the snakes and want to look BUT NOT TOUCH! Aliyah, however, did hold it.
• Notice that Kylie is eating AGAIN in the photo with the Easter Bunny. She was a muncher all day long, but it was a LOT of walking. I made her walk until noon when I went back to the car for our sack lunch and the stroller.

I can't get the slideshow up...come back later :(

Lee's Bunny Trial:
a perfect alternative to a massive public egg hunt. The kids 'hop' around the store following arrows and get treats at different stops. Seriously mykids got a handful of goodies at each of about 8 points, including chips and a Capri sun juice. Oh, the balloon was Kylie's favorite. We could have left with only that and she would have been happy.

Egg dying
calm and uneventful. Kylie didn't participate till the last 2 or 3. Before that she
was too busy scarfing down her candy from Lee's before I could take it away.

0 Kylie not a baby anymore

Notes about Kylie:

• She 'reads' books several times a day.
• She sings her own tunes, especially in the car.
• She needs to be doing what ever Allie is doing.
• She can't stop eating sugar; her sweet tooth is insatiable.
• She is a social eater and has to be eating if anyone else is.
• She is honing her acting skills with regards to tantrums.
• She's mastered the ladder-slide on the swing set.
• She loves to jump on the tramp, staying upright even with big kids.
• She loves baths and constantly soaps herself up & is brave for hair washing.
• She has started putting 2-4 words together to form simple sentences.

0 Allie all made up

My niece Jordyn (my snowboarding buddy) came by last week with her roommate Ashly, who requested Allie serve as subject for a photography class assignment. Ash needed a shot of a little girl posing as a toddler beauty pageant contestant. Allie was more than happy to agree to full makeup and a curly up-do. It is scary how drop dead gorgeous she is. I don't even want to think about what her teenage/dating years are going to be like.

Notes about Allie:

• She is an anti-social eater; can't eat with people around...too distracted.
• She shares well with her sister and watches out for her.
• She knows all the letters and picks them out on the keyboard.
• She has mastered the Dora saves the mermaids PS2 video game.
• She knows her way around www.pbskids.org on the computer.
• She sits reverently and pays attention in primary.
• She can open the car door, crawl in, shut the door and buckle her seat belt!
• She has grumpy spells and threatens to be 'mad' tomorrow.
• She plays independently for a hour at a time.
• She stills naps 2+ hours a day and goes to bed without a fight, too.
  

5 General Conference Weekend

Kylie (~2) - Emma (5) - Allie (~4) - Bailey (7) - Katie (3)

My sister Maren and her family came to spend the conference weekend with us this spring. We didn't "DO" anything much, but enjoy being together and listening to the broadcasts, oh yeah and eating way to much. The FIVE girls (ages 7-1) did get to have popcorn and a movie when the daddies went to the Priesthood session Saturday evening.
Maren whipped up these DARLING bunny cases for Sunday's family smorgasbord. I think we ended up with more deserts than actual dishes for the main meal. Typical Schwartz! The kids LOVED the bunnies. I was surprised at how OK they were with actually eating them.



Drum roll please...............

here is my FIRST flower of SPRING!!!

I am so excited to get out in the dirt and dig around. I'm sure I'll be sick of picking berries and weeding soon, but for now I'm just itching to get started.

1 Lots of Dough-in-a-Can

A few weeks ago I bough LOTS of Pillsbury Grand biscuits, since they were $1.50/10 cans, but they seem to be multiplying like Tribbles. Last week we made our own personal mini-pizzas on them. The girls loved squishing the dough and then putting the toppings on. Allie ran a constant dialogue the entire time. Kylie ate most of her sauce & toppings before it got in the oven.

0 Magic Moment

Last week we took Grandma JoAnne to the library with us. It was a very short visit, but one that my girls anticipated and absorbed.

2 Families are Forever-courtesy Ellen Davenport

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to be part of a special time for our family.

Its been a year since Grandpa Henry passed away. We've all missed him very much over the past year, and think of him often.

This weekend we gathered together as a family as grandpa's temple work was done in the Rexburg Temple. It was an amazing experience, and I am so glad that we were able to be part of it.

Lots of Aunts, Uncles, and cousins were there on Saturday in the temple. We did a session together, which was so very nice. What a feeling to be surrounded all around by family. The temple really is all about families.

A little family history: Grandpa was a mountain man, trapper and hunter. He lost his first wife Lois to complications from premature childbirth, as well as their newborn baby girl. A heartache he carried throughout his life.

Below: Henry and Lois

Years later, he met, fell in love, and married Grandma Ruby. And they had a big happy family of 8.

Their Engagement Picture1946 Family Photo

It was special in so many ways, to witness the sealings. Grandpa was sealed to his parents. And was sealed to his first wife Lois, and to their baby Evelyn. Something that I think his heart has been yearning for throughout his life. Then, he was sealed to Grandma Ruby. And then their children were sealed to them.

What an exciting day for us all in the Jemmett clan.

After the afternoon at the temple, we all got together at the Tews for a lunch, visiting, and sharing family memories.

Thanks Uncle Wayne for the Photos!

0 Pay it Forward

Hayley, I REALLY debated doing this, but I'll play along.

This is how it works.....
The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me during this year.
When and what will be a surprise.
BUT, in order for you to leave a comment on my blog, you have to post this on your blog first. (That means that sometime during this year you will send a gift to 3 people as well.) Get it?
So, the first 3 people to comment on this post will be the lucky ones!
Good Luck!!!

3 Got Green?

We did!
Green pancakes, yum!

4 Thankful Thursday #8 ( a week late) & #9 (on time!)

Last Week:
1) Adoption: I don't even think I can put into words the feelings I have for adoption. I hold birthmoms in such reverence. It has been through them that members of our family have come to be with us. Man, I'm tearing up just thinking about this. Countless prayers were answered last week when Hayden Kali was born for Brett & Britney, our good friends and neighbors. All at once it seemed the years of heartache and pain seems to be washed away as they brought this special Daughter of God into their family. Our Heavenly Father has a plan for our happiness!

2) Baptism: Our beautiful niece Keiko became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints last weekend. It was extra special since Allie is now starting to process what is going on and asks LOTS of questions. Its hard to belive our kids are growing up so fast!

3) Primary Singing Time: I really miss Relief Society (*gasp* yes I just said that mom), but I'm finding myself really enjoying singing the songs in primary. Most of the boys in our class don't sing. They are a mature 6 years old and much to cool for that, but I like to sing right out. The words stick with me through the week and I find myself humming them daily. What a comfort!




This Week:
1) a Strong Marriage: This is one thing I take for granted all the time, but I am REALLY thankful for. Right now someone close to us is really struggling in this area and it breaks my heart. Nate is a wonderful husband and I love getting to spend time with him. Even in the tough times I know I can count on him, which is a huge relief.

2) Books, Books, Books: Kylie is really getting excited about books. Its more about turning the pages than the stories, but its still super cute. She will get a stack from the bookcase and tote them to the living room where she sits down and flips through them all. After a minute she gathers them up and moves locations and repeats. I can't even count the number of times we re-stack the books each day. Dozens!

3) a Full Night's Sleep: I'm thankful for my job, but my sleep has definitely been suffering due to some major deadlines the past two weeks. I'm not as young as I once was and I'm really looking forward to some full night's sleep next week during spring break. I guess that's the silver lining to the mandatory week long unpaid vacation all USU employees are being forced to take in an effort to budget cuts.

5 POEM: Get out the Kleenex!

I read this poem posted on my cousin Dev's blog today and just had to post it here.
Sorry for the swipe, but I need the reminder -sob!

The baby is teething; The children are crying.
Your husband just called and said "Eat dinner without me."

One of these days you'll explode and shout to all the kids,
"Why don't you just grow up and act your age!"
And they will...

Or, "You guys get outside and find something to do -- without hurting each other
And don't slam the door!"
And they don't.

You'll straighten their bedrooms until it's all neat and tidy,
toys displayed on the shelf,
hangers in the closet,
animals caged.
You'll yell, "Now I want it to stay this way!"
And it will...

You will prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn't had all the olives picked out
and a cake with no finger traces in the icing
and you'll say, "Now this is a meal for company."
And you will eat it alone...

You'll yell, "I want complete privacy on the phone. No screaming, Do you hear me?"
And no one will answer.

No more plastic tablecloths stained.
No more dandelion bouquets.
No more iron-on patches.
No more wet, knotted shoelaces, muddy boots or rubber bands for ponytails.

Imagine.... a lipstick with a point,
no babysitters for New Years Eve,
washing clothes only once a week,
no PTA meetings
or silly school plays where your child is a tree,
no car pools,
blaring stereos or forgotten lunch money.

No more Christmas presents made of library paste and toothpicks,
no wet oatmeal kisses,
no more tooth fairy,
no more giggles in the dark,
scraped knees to kiss or sticky fingers to clean.

Only a voice asking, "Why don't you grow up?"
And the silence echoes:
"I did"

I am so glad I took the time to take my girls to the library today. I was wasted from pulling an all-nighter to finish a major work project by 4:45am this morning, just in time to go coupon grocery shopping with my sister-in-law at 5:45am. I'm not a young chick anymore, I admit. I truly felt awful this morning BUT I've never taken my girls to our local library (and before you judge, it really is the most pathetic excuse for a library), and for some weird reason, yesterday the thought came to me that we must go there today. I'm not claiming it was a spiritual whisper, but I was glad I listened nonetheless. Nothing amazing happened, rather it was just nice. I'll take that!

We were the only patrons in the tiny one-room basement children's section. The 3 of us sat on the floor and I read all the books Allie picked out, well the non-spanish ones anyway. We also played with the hand puppets. Kylie really got a kick out of them. I was very proud when Allie asked the librarian to help her find a book about Cinderella, all by herself. She was so grownup about it all. She amazes me. Kylie actually enjoyed herself more than I expected and was on her best behavior until I instisted she leave the sparkley board puzzle when we left. Not bad for a not quite 2-year-old. Not bad. Oh, the reason we left was a smelly behind and lack of diaper bag...I've gotten lazy about leaving the house prepared. Sorry child #2, its just the way it is.

When we got home it was diaper change, banana snack, and naps all around. As tired as I was, I gave rigth in when Allie asked me to lay with her for a 'little while'. It was so nice to snuggle up with my not-so-baby girl on my bed. It was blissfull fall asleep to the sound of her breathing, warm body curled up by my side. I think I might do that more often! Work can wait...I'll gladly stay up all night working to have moments like thoes with my children the next day. I think I am starting to realized just how fleating childhood is. sigh.

0 Book Blunders

I lent my copy of 'Hunger Games' to my father last week thinking he'd enjoy a good read on my parent's trip to Hawaii. Boy was I wrong. He called it satanic. YIKES! So I'm tucking my tail between my legs as I warn you that this book may not be for you.

On a related note, I have lost yet another book. I can not find my copy of 'the Host'. Did I lend it to you?

0 I am such a giant nerd: I'm counting down the days till this book is released!!!

'Hunger Games 2': A First Look

By Diane Roback -- Publishers Weekly, 1/22/2009 3:30:00 PM

When readers of the bestselling fantasy novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins reach the last page, many of them will be eager to know, “But what happens next??” Unfortunately, we can’t tell you yet, but we can show you, for the very first time anywhere, the cover for the sequel, Catching Fire. Scholastic is publishing the book on September 8 with a 250,000-copy first printing (Scholastic Audio Books will release a simultaneous audio edition). UPDATE: release moved up to August 5th, since the book is already COMPLETELY WRITTEN !!!

The Hunger Games came out last September, after much pre-pub buzz; it has 225,000 copies in print, with 26 foreign editions to date. Collins is currently at work writing the third and final volume in the trilogy, tentatively scheduled for 2010. <--UGH!!!

David Levithan, executive editorial director at Scholastic, says that the manuscript for Catching Fire is available in-house on a “need to read” basis only. “It’s the most secrecy I’ve had about any project I’ve ever worked on.” Why such secrecy? Levithan says it’s not a ploy for attention—they really don’t want the book’s plot to become public. “We want as many readers as possible to find out what happens in the book itself,” he explains. “We don’t want a Midnight Sun to happen [an early draft of Stephenie Meyer’s companion novel to Twilight was posted on the Internet last summer, causing the book to be postponed indefinitely]. <--I could really hurt that person!!!] It’s pretty remarkable what [Collins] has done and where she’s going. There are lots of twists and turns, and part of the fun is the surprise of it.”

Fans in the book industry can have their first chance to find out those surprises at the end of May—Scholastic will be giving out ARCs of Catching Fire at BEA in New York City.

This is the official plot summary of the book:
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

If you have not read HUNGER GAMES, you M-U-S-T!!! I couldn't put it down. I'm more than willing to lend out my copy, as soon as I get it back, again. Stenphenie Meyers was right, this really is an all consuming book. Hum, on second thought you might want to wait till the last one comes out in 2010. This wait is TERRIBLE!!! (my post about Hunger Games last fall: HERE)

1 Beautiful Day on the Slopes

My brother-in-law Troy just sent me this great picture we took a few weeks ago up at Beaver Mountain. It was an amazing morning. The fog was thick in the valley and burnt off fast -fabulous view from on top. The runs were soft and the sky was blue. Exhilarating!!!

BIL-Paul & SIL-Maho, FIL-Eldon, BIL-Troy & GF-Heidi, ME-Sarah
(yeah, I'm the only board in a group of silly skiers)