Ninja Turtle Girl

I will get to more spring break later but one of the things we did was go with my mom to see the new Muppets movie.

We all really enjoyed it. 

The reason I am posting this photo though is to look at Maddy's outfit. Sometimes she is so proud of the clothes she puts together that I just say okay. This was one of those days. 

And you can see that she is wearing a Ninja Turtles shirt. 

She just had to have this when we saw it in Target a few months ago. 

Earlier in the year she found an old Ninja turtle action figure of Doug's in our basement and then he showed her a few episodes. Since then the obsession has started. She just LOVES the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

A couple of weeks ago, again in Target, we saw this new shirt. She squealed! Her other shirt came from the boy section and here was a girly pink one!

I just love it. 

Field Trip

I was excited to get picked to go on Abi's first field trip at her new school a few days after my birthday.

I love going on field trips with her... usually.

At first it was good. We met in her class. I got to meet some of her new friends. 

I got assigned five kids including Abi. The teacher did happen to tell me that she gave me a few of the kids that don't get along and to keep so and so away from so and so. 

Ooh. Fun. 

For some reason they stuck me and my group of kids with another teacher and her moms. 

I didn't think that would be a big deal. I don't know any of the moms so it really didn't make a difference. Or so I thought.

We were the last on the bus and crammed the six of us into two seats that were left.

Our first stop was at Olsen's greenhouse in Spanish Fork. That was really fun and interesting. 

After leaving I kind of thought we were going to go to lunch and then back to school. The note had said Olsen's greenhouse and farm field day. I just assumed they were the same thing.

We went to a park in Spanish Fork that I have been to with the girls before on visits. It was fun except holy cow try to keep track of six kids on a big park when there are other schools there as well. Super fun.

So, after the greenhouse on the way to the park, my kids and I were the first back on the bus and we took two seats again but this time we sat near the front. Nobody said anything.

But when we got in the same seats again because I was the only person back to the bus on time after lunch, we soon were confronted by a young 2nd grade girl freaking out at me that we were in her seats. 

I explained to her that there were no items left on the seats and that actually we were in these seats before we came to the park. 

She threw a fit and then finally sat somewhere else. 

Meanwhile, the mom sitting across from me with three kids taking up two seats as well started shooting me dirty looks. Two of the girls with her would look over at some of the kids I had and then whisper to each other and giggle. I was getting major stink eye. It was the most uncomfortable I have ever felt on a bus. 

Meanwhile the teacher was sitting by herself in the very front seat and chatting it up with stink eye mom.

We got to the farm and hopped off.

We were all in groups to go around to different trailers. It wasn't really a fun farm. Just a place to gather people from a bunch of different farms and tell kids whatever they wanted. 

There were only a few animals there..

No one would talk to me and I could hear them talking about the bus incident so I was just done. I wanted to go home. 

I love our ward here and I hadn't encountered the snobbery I dealt with in Saratoga Springs so I was just flabbergasted at the way this mom looked down on everyone. I felt like I had shown up to a party with a bunch of girls that had known each other since the womb and I was the new girl trying to break into the group.

And then... we all stuffed into another trailer. I was wondering why in the world the walls were covered with scantily clad super models. And then I saw the sign behind one of the young cowboys that said Mink. 

Uh.uh. No freaking way. 

I quickly told Abi I had to get out of there and I went out where I could still see the kids but not have to be in there looking at the guys. 

Many of you may know that I am 100% anti fur. I never believed that people should throw paint on something that people had purchased... but I used to put pamphlets in the pockets of the fur coats at the stores telling how fur is made.

So Abi came out and asked me about it and I was telling her why I feel the way I do on our way to the next trailer.

Cue dirty looks again. 

Yeah. I did not fit in. At all. 

Finally the torture at the farm was over and we were back on the bus to go home. This time the girl threw a royal fit and the stink eye mom was talking about us and I was just sick of it so I said, fine by all means let me move my five kids so you can sit here. If there was assigned seats we should have been told that when we got on the bus the first time and finally found room for us further back after having to ask a few kids if they would mind moving to a seat with another kid since they were alone. 

Got back to school and couldn't get home fast enough.

I usually try not to let things like this bother me but that day it really did. 

So glad I don't have to ever go on a field trip with those people again.

My 37th

A few weeks ago I celebrated my 37th birthday. I usually spend most of my time behind the camera but I did it again on my birthday without realizing it.

My parents, the girls, and I went to IHOP for breakfast as is the tradition.

My mom with her yummy hot chocolate....

My first present of the day was a new iphone case. I put it on my phone before I took a picture of it and I didn't have my actual camera with me so I just took this picture of it in the car mirror. It is two of my favorite things. Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast and the Tardis and Doctor from Doctor Who.

I love it.

We dropped Abi off at school and then my parents, Maddy, and I went up to Orem to go book shopping and eventually meet Doug for lunch at Chili's. 

My mom had me pick out a book for my present and I used money from Doug's parents and my grandma and Aunt to buy some books as well.

Maddy being silly as usual...

One fun thing about being around my mom for my birthday is that I get a birthday cake! 

I never bother making one for myself so that's kind of fun.

My loot!

I got the white purse from Doug's parents along with the money I used to buy the second Spirit Animals book and Spindle's End. I also used my Grandma's money and the money from my Aunt for that. 

My mom bought me The Lost Kingdom. I haven't read it but wanted to get it when I saw it was the new book from Matthew Kirby, the author of Icefall (a book I LOVE)

Abi and Maddy made me lots of cards and pictures and Abi even gave me a pony.

From Doug and the girls I also got a cute little owl families are forever sign, a matching bookmark, The first in the new Five Kingdoms series by Brandon Mull, Dangerous by Shannon Hale, The second book in the Cragbridge hall series by Chad Morris, and The Mirk and The Midnight hour- the second book written by my friend Emily's mom. 

I always get all books for my birthday and I love it. 

Abi with my cake. 

It was a great birthday!

Hogle Zoo

A few weeks ago we met up at Doug's parents house for a birthday lunch for our sister in law Callie. While there, Doug's parents announced that they are going on a mission (they leave June 4th) to Hong Kong.

Afterward they took anyone who wanted to go to Hogle Zoo. Our niece Kassandra rode along with us because she and Abi are really close friends.

We got there first so I took some pictures while we waited...

Maddy, Abi, and Kassandra

Maddy had fun looking at a map and figuring out where we were going...

discussing it with daddy...

Abi and Kassandra... both My Little Pony lovers...

Abi on the rhino...

Little Lizzie with Maddy.. both of our girls adore Lizzie..

our little Maddy bird

Ian, Abi, Maddy,and Kassandra

I have to say that I have always been a little sad that my expectations of my side of the family as far as my kids go haven't been what I thought they would be- my nephews and nieces are all pretty close in age and when they were littles we got together all the time and did fun family things so much. But since my kids are so much younger than them it is not the same. They are the only non teenager kids on the King side. 

So, it has made me so happy to have kids that are their age on the Van Wagenen side even though Lizzie and Ian and Alex will be moving to Michigan soon. 

It makes me so happy to see the girls have cousins to play with. 

This is Alex walking around holding hands with Maddy. They are only a few days apart.

Grandfather holding Lizzie and Maddy 

Abi and Kassandra taking a break..

Maddy got to have a turn in the wagon...

Abi and Kassandra both got on a zebra on the carousel...

Maddy always chooses one that is benchlike...

Doug and Ian

We had a lot of fun!

A few randoms...

First of all, WOW, I have slacked off! 

The main purpose of starting up this new blog was that I was going to try to get back to my old routine of regular blogging. I have failed miserably! I have a few fun posts coming up of some things we have enjoyed over the past few weeks. But first, here are some pictures of random life here at my parents over the last month.

Abi likes to pretend she is a reporter. But whenever she does it she has to put on her boots. Here she was interviewing us. 

I am doing preschool pretty low key while we are at my parents house. We just do pages out of a workbook and reading lesson. 

As you can see here when she colors she almost always uses both hands.

One night when I went up to our room to sleep I found Abi asleep like this. With both legs in one leg of Doug's pajama pants and a pillowcase on her feet. So funny.

Maddy is silly as ever. She keeps us all very entertained with her singing and dancing and craziness.

There was one day when she walked around like this all day: in her pajamas with dress up necklace and sunglasses.

In other news for updates:

I am feeling great. After two weeks off of my methimazole I was not feeling so well so I went back on at a lower dosage. So far, no pain. So I am really holding out hope that it will stay that way. I really love the way I feel on this medication so I would love to be able to stay on it.

Also, in really exciting news....

We just booked our next trip to Disney World!! 

We reserved our same hotel and 10 days again later this year.

So, I am planning out all the things to sew and make, our movie nights, and having so much fun doing it! It will be a surprise for the girls again but this time we will let them know the day we leave instead of when we get there because I know that Abi would know what was happening as soon as we got in the car for a long road trip or on a plane. I can't wait. Of course, that means the next few months will have some fun blog posts.