March 2023

The sunset is fun to watch from our bedroom window. This picture makes me laugh because Darcy's hair from behind John's nose makes it look like there is a serious nose hair problem. 

In March of 2023 we managed to fit in some fun dates! We love doing date night--with each other and with the kids. First up is a Daddy-daughter date to the MOA at BYU. It was lovely. 

Eliza and I had a date going ice skating. We chatted about cyclical fashion, music, and school. She is a delight to be with.

Darcy keeps us laughing. She told me, "I will be nice to you several times, and then I want to be bad." Another time, "Mommy you are my extra favorite, and Daddy is my Christmas favorite." One Sunday she told me that I can't go to nursery, and she can't go to Sunday School because she is too big, which is actually true! She also has the best tantrums: if the Berenstain Bears are real, eating cats cooked vs. raw, wanting all the toothbrushes. 

Darcy is getting better at potty training. One day I got her a stool that enabled her to be able to reach the bathroom sink. Darcy was so excited. All she wanted to do was go potty and wash her hands again and again. 

Darcy can be so ridiculous though. She told me "I don't like kisses. They're not fun." She also told me that she wasn't a baby because she's a big girl, big like Daddy, no a medium. She isn't wo anymore because she is 5 because she is big. 

One day Darcy warned me that when I move the garbage can it is naughty, and it makes her mad because it is Daddy's garbage can. 

Other times she so stinking sweet. One night she got a little bump on her head. She was upset when the bed was full of laundry. "Can we nurse somewhere else??" What a sweetheart!

Our amaryllis bloomed again for no apparent reason. Sweet! 

Sometimes my kids spoil me like crazy. Like when they do "Mommy salons" and rub my feet and scratch my head. Another time I wasn't feeling the best and all they wanted to do was to take care of me. 

One day in March we booked a trip to Hawaii (in secret from the kids!). We caught a great flight deal and ran across a steal of a deal for lodging. Oh I love looking forward to a trip. 

Another day I about died of cuteness when we had an impromptu dance party in the bathroom. It was beyond darling. 

Date night at Applebee's to try appetizers. The best one was actually the quesadillas and spinach artichoke dip. 

Those covid masks doubling as face coverings for sledding.

It was a long snowy winter. We got so much snow late in the winter which was great for the snow pack in the mountains. One Sunday morning we decided to wake up early and go sledding before church. We had the whole sledding hill to ourselves. It was so much fun! And we made it on time to church. 

Not another sledder in sight!

Darcy prefers just sitting in the snow. 

We love cookies!

Now she likes the Halloween costume...in March.

Holland brought home this Valentines Love paper than she wrote. What a cutie!

Yeah, she is busy.

And she loves her snow boots.

Darcy isn't quite at the stage of being able to properly judge how much lotion to get and where to rub it in. Spoiler alert: not the carpet.

She just wants everyone's toothbrushes. At the same time.

Actually old enough to want to play with friends, at least in the theory. 

John and I went to a BYU Volleyball game for a date night. It was so fun! I love watching volleyball. It was way more exciting than you'd think. Plus just going to a live game is always fun. We ran into a cousin of John's that he hadn't seen for decades. Crazy!

We wrote the word FAITH with our bodies. We were feeling pretty blessed with the situation with my mom. We always pray for her, and when she comes to visit she always seems to improve: being around the kids, getting out of the house, better meals, etc. We were hopeful it was making a difference and for a time it did. I am glad we could be a happy place for her. 

On March 14th we had a particularly fun day. The kids didn't have school, and we went to the BYU Paleontology Museum.  We loved seeing all of the dinosaur bones and fossils. It was way more legit of the museum than you'd think for being a free museum. They had real bones and giant skeletons. We loved noting where the fossils were found. They had the Utah Raptor of course. In the back there were windows where you could see students working. 

Pretty much a GIANT alligator head. Truly terrifying. It's like 6 ft long.

T Rex skull. I don't like seeing those huge teeth next to Darcy's tiny body. 

Really though. How are these real? 

Even the giant sloth was terrifyingly massive. 

After we went over to the stadium and had a little snack/picnic. We loved that it was warm enough to eat outside! We need to explore our new neighborhood more. We didn't even know that those tables and museum were there. 

That same afternoon Miriam and I made chocolate croissant bread. Yeah. I could wax poetic about how amazing that bread is. So, so good. This is the bread that Ellie sold for her fundraiser for her DC trip. It was really a lot of work for me too because I wanted to make sure that she was selling a good product to our neighbors, but she was the one who was brave enough to go sell it door to door. 

John gave me our 15 year anniversary book! 

Then to wrap up that fun day we had Pi Night with the Heimulis and Uncle Matt. A couple of days later it was St. Patrick's Day. We are pretty minimal on these kinds of holidays (we put more effort into Pi Day), but we at least need to do the green food. 

Green milk, pancakes, and eggs. The most noteworthy thing is that there was actually a breakfast cooked for our children before school. Normally (99% of the time) we are a cereal and oatmeal kind of family. Later that day Darcy and I exercised, and Darcy commented, "I lift these weights to be healthy."

Tabernacle experience. It was fascinating to not just learn about this but to actually see it. 

Leprechaun shakes for dessert. 

Holland shared her testimony in Primary (and I didn't film it, which kills me!). She couldn't have been more funny and adorable. She wrote the whole thing and shared how she is a child of God. We are children of God even if we have doubts, and we are lucky to be who we are. She spoke very animated and with passion, waving her hands. She even slapped her hands down on the pulpit. It was the best!

Another day she finished her chores early, and it was so fun to hang out together and make pancakes. We went to the rec center, and she decided to jump off the high dive for the first time. And then jumped off two more times after that! She was so brave! 

Patti made fun little tacos for a family dessert one day.

They were a big hit with my kids.

We were fighting illness for a while as a family. We had to stay home from work, school, and church. Thankfully Darcy's nursery teacher also stayed home with her so they had nursery at home. They even had the same snacks. 

One day while Holland was doing her math she was listening to the song, "Grow as We Go," which shows fathers and daughters performing together. Holland got all teary and had to be held for a few minutes. Later I asked what made her sad and she said," I am not going to see you as much when I get bigger." Then she cried more and I cried more and then I told Ellie and she cried. And it was so sweet and sad. 

My cousin Melanie was about to have her first baby, and I gave her a lot of Darcy's baby things. Darcy was not a fan of this and wanted it back from the "new baby." I think it helped me to give some of these things to someone who I knew could use them. It is hard letting go of the baby stage, but the hardest part is not nursing Darcy. This was the first step--giving up the pump. I had been pumping before bed for her whole babyhood to try to keep my milk supply up. John was so. done. with me pumping, but I just had to try to keep my milk for my little toddler. This was a good reason to stop pumping--Melanie needed it for her new baby. Anyway, John is happier, and I am resigned that Darcy can't breastfeed forever. Although on the evening of Melanie's baby shower Darcy was still stirring when I got home. I got her up and nursed her. She said, "Thank you Mommy for getting me up and nursing me." It melted my heart.

Darcy told me that she "drinks milk from my angel mama." She kept hugging me and calling me "angel mommy." She called the girls "angels" too. It was so precious. Later she told John to see her raisin toes. He said, "Yeah, let's eat them." "No, then I won't have any toes left. The doctor says I need to keep my toes." 

Another day I asked Darcy what her superpowers were and she said, "Dinosaurs because they have sharp teeth!"

One day Darcy was particularly loving/attacking. So many snuggles and kisses. She kissed by my ear but wouldn't kiss my ear "because that would hurt." 

One day I was having kind of a hard day and I looked outside to see that the first flower of spring had bloomed. There was still plenty of snow coming, but these little flowers bloomed anyway. It made my day. 

I loved going to the Traditions Ball with John. We got all dressed up and drove to the Hinckley Center. It was so fun doing dance classes and trying out our best moves on the dance floor. The whole thing was fun, elegant, and kinda silly. I loved it! I am so grateful that John is my forever date. 

One night Miriam crawled into her bed right was we were doing to do scriptures and everyone said, "Miriam don't read!" She said, "Geez, I'll get out then." Darcy replied, "Geez I'll get in then." Another day Miriam made three different desserts for her long term sub because she didn't think that the sub felt very appreciated. It made me kind of emotional. 

One day I picked up Ellie after school and we just talked in the van in the garage for a few minutes before we went in. She is such a sweetheart. Another day she left me a sweet note in the pantry. What an angel that girl is. 

Holland has really been into the church analogies recently. We explained what the phrase "silver linings" mean and she wanted us all to come up with the silver linings to various situations. Also, she has the cutest grin when she beats her math page timer. I love it so much. Another cute moment was when she told us we should have a "com-promise" with Darcy. We thought she must have read the word "compromise" and said it like that to herself. 

Darling note to Miriam from Holland.

Darling note #2 from Holland to Miriam. 

After lunch one day Darcy told me, "I love your toast Mommy. Thanks for making it for me." It made me laugh because it was just store-bought bread and butter, nothing fancy. 

I love John so much. I surprised him with these little love notes in his closet. He ended up leaving them for a long time, until we were worried about the tape and paint.