Projects

The nesting has been really crazy with this baby.  Maybe because I have been pregnant through the winter so there is nothing else to do besides clean the house.  Well I have been working on a ton of different projects that I have had collecting dust for lots of years.  It was fun to actually get out my paints and other crafting things to get them done.  Here are some of the things I have been working on: 

The Boo and Joy blocks I have had since before Emily was born and the "Let Freedom Ring" stars are even older than that!  You can see why it is nice to get these things done.  I love how they turned out.  Charlotte's name board has been hanging around since she was one.  I never realized how long her name was until I made this sign.  The board I put the letters on was almost 3 feet long!  On well it turned out good too.  Finally I put together this "Run" sign to display all of my running medals.  Once it was finished, I realized that I might need a few more hooks if I am going to keep running and getting medals!  I really love how this turned out.

The last painting/wooden block project I finished was this beautiful Nativity Scene.  I got this project from an Enrichment Night at Relief Society probably 10 years ago.  I have been storing these blocks for that long trying to protect them from Russell and his wood projects.  I was so happy all of the pieces were there when I went to put it together.  I love how the cream colored vinyl really stands out on the navy blue.  Now I need to figure out where to display this when Christmas comes.  Charlotte loved helping me paint all of these blocks.  She was getting pretty good at painting by the time we were done with all of these projects. 

I have also been doing a lot of sewing:

This first quilt  is the quilt I made for Charlotte's bed.  When the kids move into their new big beds, I make them a quilt to go on it.  This quilt took longer than I thought it should have.  There was a lot of piecing together but I like how it turned out.  All of the colored triangles were from scraps of fabric I already had so I only had to buy the white and a little bit more black.  Charlotte loves it on her big bed.

These next quilts are for the new baby:

Well okay not all of them because that would be too many.  The two baby quilts on the right are for the baby.  The other two on the left are for Traci and Jacee.  They are both having baby girls in June.  These baby quilts were also made out of pieces of fabric I already had so I just had to buy the backing and the solid colors.  They were so easy to make and turned out so cute.  

Finally the Levi quilt is also for the new baby.  I know she probably won't use it for a few years but at least it is done.  We go through a lot of Levis in this family. I actually had enough Levi squares to make two quilts!  I only made one though because I was tired of sewing.  After tying and binding all these quilts, I was pretty much sewn out.  I am definitely taking a break from sewing for a minute.

Next, Charlotte has been working on some of her own projects:

She has finally learned how to write her name!  This was also another indication that our kid had a long name because there are a lot of letters to learn in order to write "Charlotte."  But she finally did it!  Now she loves writing her name and does a pretty good job of it.  She is also learning the names of all the letters and their sounds.  She has the upper case letters down, now we need to work on the lower case.  We received this huge chalkboard from Uncle Paul and she has loved drawing and writing on it with the sidewalk chalk. This is what finally gave her the motivation to write her name!

Finally, the biggest and most important project I have been working on it the growth of this cute baby:

After having Covid, my doctor wanted to do another ultrasound to make sure everything was still okay with the baby.  The tech said everything seemed fine with the baby and that she looked great.  As part of the ultrasound, they did 3D images of the baby.  We could actually see her cute face!  Look at her little nose and her cleft chin.  We can't wait to meet this little one for real!

On top of all of this, we have been getting out the baby clothes, crib, bassinet, and all the other baby things to get ready for her arrival.  We can't wait!

The Mighty Hunters

 Great times with Colby hunting pheasant and going after a turkey. My co-worker has property in Newton and invited a bunch of us from work to come shoot a turkey and pheasant, and have a great time. I took him up on his offer and Colby was my wing man for the fun adventure. I have never been bird hunting before, so this was a new experience for Colby and me. 

We left in the afternoon with high hopes to get something. It had snowed that whole week, so the odds were not in our favor that day. When we got there, Trevor and Tyler from work were there and we hung out for a bit and let the rain settle down. Once the rain settled down we went out and walked around to see if we could get a pheasant to fly up. No luck when we walked around. Chad said there were two by his garage we could try and shoot. Colby was excited and said, "Let's do it." So off we went. We knew where they were, and we had to be careful because we were by the dogs. We were locked and loaded, one flew up and I shot and feathers flew everywhere. I was excited I got it! The second bird flew up and Tyler shot and Trevor and I almost crapped our pants because he shot the dog house and the dog ducked and ran. Oh boy we thought. Colby and I walked up and saw our bird. The one side of the breast was massacred. Later we found out that Trevor took a shot at the bird also. I had no idea we must have shot literally at the same time. I only heard one shot go off as I shot at it. That makes sense on why the bird was toast. 

Colby loved all the different colored feathers on the pheasant and wanted to keep some. He helped me take the feathers off and cut off the head. He told me I had to do the gutting part. I laughed and agreed. The rest of the day was waiting for the turkeys to come out. Colby and I went out and walked around to see if we could see more pheasants. We walked by a ravine and about 6 birds flew, but they are so fast I could not get a shot off quick enough. There were a couple of birds that flew behind me and I turned and Colby was behind me, so of course those got away. Colby was like "Dad shoot them!" I laughed and said, "If I shoot at them then you will be part of the target also." He told me that makes sense why you didn't shoot. It was fun hanging out with my oldest boy hunting, these are great memories we will always have. The day was uneventful of getting a turkey. We saw them around 5 pm and started to go after them, but they high tailed it out of the area as fast as they could. Poor Colby was wet and tired by the end of the day. We took our one bird and headed home as the fearless hunters.  

We decided to eat the bird at the same time we making food for dinner on the smoker. I was really taken back on how small the bird actually was. I have always heard from others that there is not much meat on a pheasant and now looking at one for the first time they were right. I brined the meat over night, and put it on the smoker hoping for a successful cooking. Once the bird was done, I took it off and we tried it for the first time. I was a little tough and chewy. We found some left over shotgun pellets in the meat that I hadn't gotten out. Poor Colby took a piece and walked away saying yum, but walked right back in and said here is a pellet. I laughed at it because it is like the scene in Back to the Future and Marty is eating a rabbit that was killed and while he was chewing he bit into a pellet and spit it out. I took off the meat and there was literally only a small bowl full of meat to eat. Hunting is not always about killing and getting your tag filled, it is the fun memories that are made and spending time with those you hunt with. We will definitely have to go again.

Wax Museum History Fair

This year the elementary school learned about Leaders in History and put on a Wax Museum History Fair.  Instead of the kids putting together poster boards or displays, they got to dress up as their character and become that person for the day.  They had to memorize a speech about that person and then tell everyone about it as they stood like wax figures in a museum.  This year Emily and Logan wanted to participate.  Colby loves learning about actual people in history but he did not want to stand up in front of everyone and talk.  Definitely understandable.  

Emily wanted to be Emma Smith.  She has loved learning about this great woman and how she overcame her trials through her faith.  Logan decided to be Neil Armstrong.  He also loved learning about this great astronaut.  

During the Wax Museum, they did a great job on their speeches.

Logan still recites his speech every now and then just to make sure he still has it memorized.  This is his speech: "I am Neil Armstrong.  I was the first person to walk on the moon.  When I was a kid, I loved airplanes.  I built so many airplanes they filled my room.  When I was 15, I took flying lessons and earned my pilot's license.  I was an engineer and test pilot before joining NASA as an astronaut.  Walking on the moon seemed impossible but I was used to doing impossible things.  You can do impossible things too by taking it one step at a time. 'One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!'"  

Emily also did a great job writing and performing her speech. "Hello I am Emma Hale Smith, the wife of Joseph Smith Jr. the prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I was born on July 10, 1804 in Harmony, PA.  Joseph and I were married in 1827.  I was called and 'elect lady.' I helped Joseph translate the Book of Mormon.  I had to overcome many obstacles in my life like Joseph and me being kicked out of our home many times because of mobs.  I had to go through many obstacles that tested my faith.  By staying true to my faith and knowing my husband was a prophet of God, I overcame them. Like me, you can overcome your obstacles, big or small, if you have faith in your loving Heavenly Father's plan for you."

Great job kids!

Basketball

Basketball season is finally coming to an end.  This season seemed to drag on because games kept being postponed due to the ever changing Covid-19 restrictions.  Then we had to miss a couple games because of the 'Rona hitting our house.  Because of this, we were worried the kids would miss thier last games but luckily, we were all healed up and able to go to the last game of the season this weekend.

Emily had a blast playing this year.  She is getting better and better at defense. In fact, her job was to guard the tough girls on the other team so that they didn't get the ball.  This was a hard job and unfortunately she took a few elbows but she stuck to it and helped her team to an undefeated season!

Logan also had a great season.

He is also getting better each year.  He made quite a few baskets this season.  It was so funny to watch him make his shots because he was always so surprised and happy when they went in.  He loved playing with his team and they won most of their games. I think there were only two that they lost and those were only by a point or two.

Colby is our serious basketball star.

He loves to play basketball and really gets into the game. He is getting better at dribbling all the time. Because he is the smallest on the team though, it is hard for him to shoot the basket that high and far.  But that doesn't stop him from trying his best to make his baskets.  He practices all the time on our hoop.  His team did well this season and they all worked hard together.

The kids love playing basketball and we love watching them have fun on the court.

Logan's Baptism

What a special day for this 8 year old boy. We are so excited for Logan and his decision to be baptized. He is such a great kid and he couldn't wait for this day to get here. It was fun teaching him and helping him understand the importance of baptism. He always knew he wanted to follow Christ and be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

Due to Covid-19, Logan's baptism program was much different than we were use to. It was also different with who was invited to be in the circle. They asked us wear our white clothes there and come at a certain time. There was no chapel program, or talks on baptism and the Holy Ghost. There was an opening prayer, the baptism, confirmation and a closing prayer. In and out just like that. Even though it was fast, there was a really good feeling for all who were there. As you can see from his picture, he was way excited to be wearing white. The night before I showed him how he would stand when he was in the water. I told him I will hold him under for a while so hold your breath. He laughed at me when I said this. It was a good week for him also because it was his birthday week. He was spoiled all week. 

 The whole family was excited for Logan and his decision.  We missed having extended family join us for the baptism.  Due to Covid, our numbers had to be limited to immediate family only.  Grandma and Grandpa Farnsworth were able to come up and enjoy the day with us though.  For everyone else, we were able to do a Zoom meeting and everyone could watch the baptism and the confirmation virtually.  This was different than we are used to but at the same time it was good because people like Great Grandma Morwood and others were able to join us when otherwise they wouldn't be able to. 

Look at these two handsome fellas. I love his big contagious smile and his loving warm attitude. We were all so excited for Logan and his baptism. 

After the baptism Logan said he wanted to go to Angie's for lunch and then Yogurt Land for ice cream. It was a perfect day for Logan. We went up after ice cream and hung out at the Phillips' house and saw Grandma Maxwell also. We were only going to stay for an hour our so, but we ended up staying there for a while. Tiff and Emily got hooked putting a puzzle together with Grandma Farnsworth and Aunt Charlene. 

Sunday morning came and the Grandparents came over to say goodbye before heading home. They also had one more thing for Logan. We opened up both Grandparents' presents before they left. He got some really cool presents from both of them. We went to church and he was able to go up in front of the chapel while the Bishop told the ward how proud he was that Logan got baptized and was the newest member of the church. Once again he was beaming ear to ear.

 It was a great weekend for him and the whole family. We love you Logan!

Logan Says It's Great to be 8!

Happy 8th Birthday Logan!!  You are growing up so fast and becoming a handsome little man!

Eighth birthdays are kind of a big deal.  It is the year you become accountable for your actions.  It is the year you decide to what is right and wrong for yourself.  I think you are ready for it!

For birthday breakfast, Logan requested peanut butter pancakes.  We were not sure how to do this because the peanut butter usually burns a little bit while the pancake batter cooks.  But Logan wanted the peanut butter inside the pancakes not just spread on top.  So Russell brainstormed a little while at the store and decided that putting peanut butter chips in the batter would do the trick.  He was right, they were delicious (and we also spread some peanut butter on top so they were quite rich!)  Logan loved them.

Here is our handsome boy in his new birthday duds ready for school.

While at school, his whole class got to party with him.  They had earned a party day and decided to have it on February 1, Logan's birthday!   So the whole class celebrated by having a pajama, popcorn, and game day.

At the end of the day, I came to school for his birthday spotlight time.  He got to tell everyone about himself and show off some of his favorite things.  His most favorite thing was his hover board of course!  He rode it all around the classroom showing everyone his skills.  They were all impressed.

When we got home, we all headed to the place Logan wanted to go for his birthday, the Cache Valley Fun Park.  The only thing he wanted to do was play the arcade/token games so we bought a bunch of tokens and let the kids have at it.  We had a blast earning as many tickets as we could on all of the games.  I think we earned around 500!  Logan was very happy that when he tried the claw game he actually was able to win a stuffed toy.  It totally made his day.  After cashing in our tickets for prizes, we headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  Logan loves this place because he loves the rolls.  He also likes that you get to ride the saddle on your birthday.  Unfortunately the saddle was not available because of stupid Covid but the waiters still sang to him and yelled "Yeehaw!"  He was happy for that.

When we got home, it was time to open presents.

Because it is his 8th birthday, he received gifts to go along with his upcoming baptism.  He received new scriptures, a baptism book, and a new tie and tie tack.  He also got some new basketball shoes and a fun game called Buildzi.  He really likes playing the game and building things with the blocks.

Time for cake!

It's great to be eight!!  Logan had a great birthday and said he loved everything about it.

Because eight years means getting baptized soon, we took some time while we were in St. George for New Years to take some Baptism/Birthday photos of Logan.  I love how they turned out.

The temple grounds are closed right now for major temple renovations so we decided to take the pictures at the Elk Lodge Golf Course.  I really like the scenery and the red rocks in the pictures.  

We also went up to the Red Hill but it was getting too dark for good pictures.  Here are some of the funny ones we took up there.

Here Logan is trying to eat the temple.  I don't really know if that is a good idea...

We sure love you Logan and are so glad you are in our family.  You are just a happy kid that loves people and loves giving hugs.  We love your happy-go-lucky attitude and your positive disposition.  Being the middle child, you are definitely the cream filling in our Oreo of a family.  We love you Buddy!