When your dad is a history teacher...

The girls went to Joey's school last Saturday while I was at our Stake Relief Society Conference.  He got some work done and cleaned up his room while they watched a movie, colored, and drew on the whiteboard. There are all sorts of treasures in a teacher's classroom.  I laughed when the girls brought these drawings home:

The heads of historical figures and they added bodies to them.  Only when your dad teaches history...I don't think I ever had so much fun in my Dad's office.  He is an accountant.  Sorry, Dad.  History has definitely rubbed off on our children.  They find meaning in it.  Olivia has a serious attachment to historical fiction and last week brought home a book about all of the first Ladies.  She was enthralled.  She even has a favorite.  I won't say who because I think one of my grandpas would have a heart attack if he knew.

Best Friends

Best Friends.  Sammie and her friend Audrey get along so well together.  They are both full of big personality.  Audrey came over yesterday after school and they were squealing as they got off the bus together.  Audrey usually gets off a few stops later.  They were ecstatic.  They played all afternoon.  A best friend is so comforting to have.  Someone who knows you and gets you.  When you argue a bit, you make up quickly.  Just like a sister.  I have had a number of best friends over the years.  They have encouraged me and helped me.  Laughed with me and cried with me.  Best friends are, well,the best.

Books, books, books

I think I am addicted to having books. It is so hard for me to part with one even if I have only read it once and it was years ago.  Books, to me, are truly like friends.  Each time I look at one on my bookshelf there is a memory tied to it.  When I browse through the bookshelf I can recall the period of my life when I last read from  those pages.  Some things I can get rid of so easily, but it is so hard to part with my books. 
 Just last night we were cleaning out the garage and I opened an old box from when I taught 5th grade.  Inside, it was full of chapter books that I had in my classroom.  I saved them thinking that I would be able to have them for my kids someday.  It's crazy that the day has come.  I am pulling out books that have been collecting dust in the garage for 9 years.  I am going to give some of the books to Olivia's teacher.  I really can not keep so many, but I'm keeping some of my favorites.  I love books and it makes me smile thinking about cuddling in bed with a good book and reading some of my favorites with my kids.  Oh...comfort.

Spring Break Part 2

How lucky are we that we get to visit not just one set of granparents but another as well in the same week?! We haven't been up to Joey's parent's in some time. Since Abby was a baby actually and I have missed it! The girls stayed a couple of days last summer on their own. It was nice and cold for us while we were there. I really wanted to take a trip to San Francisco for the day. It had been so long since we were there and I love that place. Here are the girls on Grandma's patio.

We visited the Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco. This tunnel slide is 25 feet long and Abby about flew off the end every time she went down. The girls rode on the carousel and we visited the Children's Museum right in the heart of the city. I couldn't figure out what Abby was trying to do with all those big soft blocks but she was certain she knew what she was doing and had a definite story to go along with what she was doing. Our family made a music video to a Taylor Swift song and Olivia made her very own short clay-mation movie We ate a yummy lunch then drove down Lombard Street (the crookedest street) and drove across the Golden Gate Bridge where we met with a ferocious wind when we got out to take our picture. The girls weren't too happy about that I'm glad that I was feeling up to this little trip. Our family really needed it and now we have a karaoke music video...which is awesome.

Spring Break Part 1

We got to visit family over Spring Break and it was so refreshing. We got to watch conference together, have an Easter egg hunt, got to the movies, and we had lots of fun visits with my brothers and their families and their cute little boys. I loved how the girls chased Noah up and down my parents' house and how they loved to hug little Brennan. Those boys are growing so fast. The girls were dieing to go swimming and would have if I had let them. It was raining and the water was freezing! Lots of trips to the park with the cousins and I thought how great it would be if we lived closer and we could do this more often. We went into Sacramento one day and visited the Train Museum. The girls were very interested in trains especially since Grandma rides the train down when she comes for a visit. The museum was impressive. Abby was begging to get on every single train engine there. Which wasn't allowed of course, but they did have a couple of cars that we got to walk through. One even felt like it was a moving train. Then we hopped across the street in Old Town and got some saltwater taffy. It was completely necessary. I love saltwater taffy and I love visiting my family. It's great that we aren't too far away.

Time with Mom

My mom came for a visit the week before the kids were out for Spring Break. We did a couple of little sewing projects. I found these two ideas online and we had so much fun working on them together. Especially the wee mouse tin house. It was much more time consuming than we thought it would be though. I have never sewn something so tiny. The girl LOVED them though and the smiles were worth it. I keep thinking how I need to make one for myself to carry in my purse, because it is just so cute. "Would you like a mint?" (Pop open the altoid tin) "Oh, my! How cute!"

Then we made these sock bunnies to put in their Easter baskets. They look like friends, don't they?
I love using my hands to do projects like these. It feels good to watch my kids playing with things that I lovingly made. Well, there was some frustration too. I am not very good at doing anything after 9:30pm. My brain turns to mush and and I lose all patience.

Happy Easter!

Olivia knows that there is no Easter Bunny. Actually I'm not even really into the Easter Bunny thing but she kept pointing it out and even left us a sweet note by her Easter basket. In the morning she asked, "Did you get my note?" just to prove to us that she really doesn't believe in the Easter Bunny. The girls looked beautiful today. Then Abby colored all over her knees with a black sharpie right before we were supposed to leave for church. I did my best to clean it off, but she went to church with gray knees. Little stinker.

I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father for sending us His son to atone for not just our sins but for all of our pains. It brings me so much comfort and peace...beyond words.

We can do hard things

Olivia was dreading the Friday before Spring Break. All of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders were to run in a 5K fundraiser race. She was not excited. Olivia is actually a pretty good runner. They run a mile regularly at school. I remember the first time she ran. She told me about it when she got home from school. She ran it in 9 minutes and something seconds. She has gotten faster and is now under 9 minutes on her times. We were so shocked when she said that she was coming in the top 5 girls in her grade each time. She doesn't usually go for this kind of thing. The 5K was another story and I am so proud of her for finishing. I went to watch her run. The first mile she did great. All smiles. During the 3rd 1/2 mile lap she saw me on the sidelines and wrapped her arms around me feeling very discouraged. She wasn't even half way done and was so tired. She walked most of the rest with a little jogging in between and she finished!

We have a family motto that says, "We are the Birons. We can do hard things and we don't do ugly!" We came up with this motto because life is hard. Things happen and we have to deal with them and make the most of everything. "We don't do ugly" comes from my sweet grandma who always has a postive attitude. She would always say this to us when she would compliment how beautiful for handsome we were. I used to worry about my kids. I don't anymore. Sometimes when things get hard for them I say to myself. They are learning. They are becoming stronger. She was so happy when she finished and we were so proud that she did something that was hard for her. She has vowed not to run another 5K until next year when she has to do the same run again.

Bakersfield Appreciation Episode 3

We've been very busy around here. My mom came for a visit, then we took off for spring break. After a nice quiet drive last night, we are home. Ahh....It has been a productive Saturday. I even have bread baking in the oven. That is huge, people! Now for that pile of laundry? Well, it will get done at some point. Not to mention the huge mess the girls have created up stairs, but that is their job, not mine :)Last month we went to our sweet friend Kelsey's softball game at BC. The girls loved watching her pitch and and in their eyes she is pretty much a superstar. It was a beautiful day and so fun to be together. Lots of apples were eaten, and lots of climbing on the bleachers, some grumpiness, but a few runs up and down a hill kept them occupied. The girls learned lots about softball and the BC girls won their game! Great job Kelsey!