Gardening Fever and Conference Weekend

This week felt really hard. Lots of feelings and emotions gushing around, been a challenge to figure out the sources! While in Utah Josie was wondering how many Josie's were in the world. "Mom, is there more than one Josie in the entire world? Well, I know my ballet teacher is Josie so there must be 2...ummm maybe 6. Do you think there are a hundred Josie's?" I quite enjoyed watching her puzzle through her own question! As a parent I love the moments when your children think outside their own selves and make theories about the world that surrounds them. Evelyn is so hard to handle sometimes. She is giving us a real workout, I'm learning to drop the power control rope...but what does one do when the rope is slapping you in the face? LOL. Criminy. 

Mostly, just the normal stuff this week. Gym (only Monday this week), therapy on Tuesday, piano, ballet, youth activities, choir, and cleaning. Amelia got to help volunteer at the DI for activities this week, the girls sorted donated stuff for a couple hours. Phillip went golfing at a range which he really enjoyed. The nasty chest cough we brought home from Utah caught up to me, still hacking the 1/2 a lung I've got left. Mia and Phillip are also coughing the last day or so. Amelia played a fun solfege game with Konrad on the trampoline. The Elders came over for dinner on Wednesday. They came 30 minutes early in order to learn how to make bread. They made no-knead bread with a few instructions and a recipe. I dropped off the dough later that evening as it needed to rise for 3 hours. All the Elders in that house were excited about how the bread turned out!!! Yum. 

Thursday was a grand rehearsal at Middleton High from 5-8:30 pm with the entire company. We packed dinner to bring along. I volunteered for the children's and youth choirs in order to stay in the building during the rehearsal. Josie and Evelyn played with the stuff they packed along for the long rehearsal. Everett opted to head home early with Sister Flake. There are so many favorite songs! I can't even choose a favorite. 

My tomato seedlings and squash family seeds are finally sprouting thanks to a new seed warming mat. I stocked up on tomato boom and plant fertilizer hopefully to last the summer at Zamzows. Everett built me another 4x4 garden box for the strawberry plants I bought over the week. I have two different everbearing breeds to compare and contrast. In between afternoon and evening General Conference I ran to Adam's nursery for garden box planting mix, seed potatoes, onion bulbs, and cool weather crops I did not start early enough. Hopefully, next week I can get the onions, peas, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, radishes etc into the ground.  

Friday was April Fools! I taped saran wrap to Everett's door, the little girls quite enjoyed staking out his door as we waited for him to exit after waking him up. He was just a little surprised. Evelyn and Josie also helped me saran wrap the Ostler's porch and door. Evelyn really wanted to get a box of McD's chicken nuggets in order to fill the empty box with vegetables. She pestered me for hours about that, I did not want to, she refused any other idea like using an empty pizza box. I finally convinced her to wrap a tomato in a chocolate wrapper, and to wrap a broccoli like a lollipop. She conceded, was able to punk both Josie, Justin, and Phillip. Everett switched up bedding much to Phillip's annoyance. Justin and I snuck away to eat shrimp tacos at El Guerro for date night. Everett had a great time at the 5th grade lock-in from 5:30-9 pm. He reported there was pizza, dancing, games, and lots of time with friends. I met his fellow friends: toast (Everett), eggs (Alyssa), bacon, and sausage. He is a funny, friendly kid. 

This week the elementary kids all signed up to do a "Great Brain" project for Da Vinci night toward the end of April. Everett wants to knock everyone's socks off with a research project complete with model on Nuclear Fission. Evelyn chose to present on Rockhounding in south-western Idaho, specifically about agates. Josie wants to research Koalas and Red Pandas...both are equally cute and acceptable. 

General Conference is always a relaxing weekend. Phillip brough down his legos to play with. Amelia quietly worked on several art projects. The girls just puttered about. Amelia was quite insistent we have conference crepes, she made that happen all on her own...well, except for the grocery trip and bill.