A unicorn that I made for Anni's room!

Pace as Thomas Edison at his school wax museum:

Isabelle is doing Distinguished Young Women and last Saturday they had an event where they taught mini classes to girls who are 5-9. Even though Anni isn't quite 5, Isabelle brought her.  They put a program on for the parents at the end and it was fun to see.

One morning this week I got out of the shower and called for Anni and she didn't answer.  I got worried that she was up to mischief or had gone outside, but I found her sound asleep at the table.  She napped for several hours!

Caden getting the royal treatment:

Pace riding the lift with Shawn to place a window.  I held the window in while Shawn drilled it into place.

 

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

 Sunday dinner set up: I was really happy with this Valentine napkin fold:

On Saturday Caden came home to help get the metal roofing on the house and Stephen came over to help as well.  Shawn and I went on a drive after church to look at it and it looks so good! 

Isabelle had the Sweethearts dance on Saturday.  She asked Tyce Gordon and their group went to Lava Hotsprings for their day date.  While she was gone I made chocolate dipped strawberries, a raspberry ice cake and rolls as my contribution to their dinner, which they had at her friend Riley's house.

Isabelle and her date:

Every year at the beginning of February we make these valentines and write poems or a nice note to each other.  They're always such high quality, haha:D 

I put them up all around the apartment:

The tuxedo and other chocolate dip strawberries I made.  Isabelle came home with most of them because she said they all ate lunch so late on their day date that they weren't hungry for dinner... I guess that meant more for everyone here though!

Isabelle wanted a picture with Nolan at church:

Wedding pictures!

 Kami and Stephen finally got their wedding pictures back!  I will start posting them - I'm sure I'll have to add more as I go...

After Stephen proposed they decided to get married right after the semester ended in December.  They figured the Rexburg temple would be really busy that day so they called the Idaho Falls temple to see what sealing sessions were available.  They had an opening on Saturday the 18th at 4:00 or 4:30... I can't remember which, but either way, it was pretty late in the day to then have a reception, so they decided to have their reception the evening before.  I loved it this way!  We got all of the more stressful stuff done the day before the wedding and then could relax and enjoy the temple.  

I'm not going to add too many reception pictures, but we were really pleased with how it all turned out!  Shawn and the boys found 5 big trees in the forest that we used for a backdrop.  We had all sorts of candles and pine boughs and pine cones and it looked amazing.  I don't think the pictures do it justice! 

Kami wanted a cookie bar and a hot chocolate bar and Aunt Linda, Tara Reilley and these three did a great job of running the kitchen!:

Caden and I baked all sorts of cookies for the occasion; Caden made them while at college in Logan and then brought them with him.  I need to find a picture of the cream puff swans he made and add it - this post will be a work in progress;) I also had a few friends and relatives bring some cookies. Kristi and Suzette, my sister in laws brought some, as did my friends Tara and Julie Powell.  

Some pics of the family after the sealing!: 

Photos of the week

Most days when I pick Anni up from the "kid's World" at the gym she has some sort of dress-up on and is playing "family" with some little kids:

Today Nolan, Abram and Shawn are working on the last section of the roof!  It was 2* when I dropped the boys off at 10:30 and when I brought them all some food at almost 3:00 it was 16* and they weren't wearing their coats and said they were sweating!  Good thing it was sunny today so they could be warm in this cold weather.  The boys also went to help work on the roof several days after school this week.  It speeds things up for Shawn if he doesn't have to climb up and down off of the roof to cut shingles, grab more, etc.  The boys keep him stocked and the shingles cut to the right sizes.  Today it was so cold that the nail gun kept freezing up but they expect to reach the ridge today.  I'm so excited to be able to say that something is completely done on this house! 

                                                                Pace, Anni, and Abram

                                                        Shawn, Abram and Nolan

My friend Ruth teaching swimming lessons 6 hours a day and when her little girl, Kristina, isn't feeling well at school or needs anything, I run and get her because Ruth can't.  She's usually just fine and she and Anni play all day.  Sometimes we all do fun projects together or I drill her on her multiplication facts so that she can feel confident at school. She brought lots of books last time and spent a good amount of time reading to Anni. She comes over 4 days a week after school, too, so that she doesn't have to be alone at home for 2 hours.  She, Pace and Anni have a good time playing together.
 

The things she says

Anni fixed my hair one morning and then proclaimed, "mom, you're just too cute for me!  You're as cute as a horse.  You look like an ox! You're as cute as a toot." I found that I was all charged up and ready to face the day with those compliments!

Anni asked for a "Mesadilla" one day for lunch.  She said it couldn't be a quesadilla because we lived in Mesa Falls.

Anni took personal swimming lessons from my friend Ruth for 12 weeks this fall and loved it!  One day during swimming lessons she suddenly yelled, "This is my destiny!!!"  She swam a little longer and then yelled "I love swimming!!!!"

There are a lot of political conversations at our house.  Maybe I shouldn't admit it but one day I heard Anni going on and on about the "Devilcrats"

Anni comes home from preschool every day and asks Alexa to play her preschool songs.  Some favorites are  "going on a bear hunt" and "Dinosaurs Marching".

flying in Uncle Adam's airplane

Anni told me one morning that she went to scratch her ear and got all the sap out...Then she was singing "Hallelujah" with the Tabernacle on Temple Square and I asked if she liked that song? She said, "yes and the plants are loving it.  They are going to shiver with joy!"  She knows I play music for my house plants :D

Me: Anni what will you say to your friends if you go to the playground and they want to come play at the apartment?  

Anni: "I will say NO! Last time you lost Isabelle's hair extension and she makes me look for it and it's really boring!"

Me: I was thinking along the lines of "The weather's nice so we can play outside" but okay!😂

Since Anni still isn't legally adopted she is on a different insurance than the rest of the family.  Every time I take her to the doctor they come out and say they are ready to see "Anjolena Hart".  Anni always gives me a funny look but we're following the nurse by then and I don't have time to explain.  Several days after her last appointment she came to me and said, "We're all Gee's but our sick name is Hart."  I didn't realize that she had been mulling this over in her mind and asked, "Why is that our sick name?"  She said, "Because that's what they call me when we go to the DR."

Written without any assistance "Jesus and his "Uscipls" The eternal father"

Anni came home from church and reported that they sang "Scripture Power" in primary and that her "eyes dripped all through the song".  I said, "You must have been feeling the spirit!"  She said, "No, I just felt really happy!"  I assured her that was the spirit:)

Anni said she once had a "Harrypotomus mystery"book.  Her form of Harry Potter.

Starting up again

We started off January with Shawn finishing the roof!

Yesterday Caden came home from Logan just to help with Shingles. Kami and Stephen also came and helped for three or four hours and when they had to go, Isabelle had finished with her Distinguished Young Women practice so she came.  Nolan and Abram had also gotten home from their winter campout and helped as well.  They got quite a bit done and I'm excited to see what they can accomplish on Monday (Civil Rights Day so no school).

The yield of one day:

I'm so glad that the kids are willing and cheerful about helping with things like this; I appreciated it so much!