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1. On Saturday, Scott made cheddar cheese!  This is our second attempt and it was a huge success!  The first time, we tried to make it with non-fat milk and the curds didn't press together right.  But this time they came together like magic.  It is really neat to experiment with basic human skills.  Like cheese making.  Humans are so cool.
2. Also on Saturday, Scott made a big pot of chili for our ward's chili cook-off.  He put in five different kinds of peppers!  It definitely had a good kick to it.  He was very proud of his chili, which is endearing.  And he was right to be proud; he took home the Best Chili prize!  Our friend John took home the Spiciest Chili prize.
3. Sunday was our ward's primary program.  The boys did their parts and I was not embarrassed, not even a little bit.  In fact, I was very proud of Carl who stood right in the front row and sang beautifully.
4. Scott's family come to visit this week.  They are very relaxing house guests.  They like to stay at home and play with the kids.  As a result, both the kids and I adore having them around.
5. As part of the Duedes' visit, I got to experiment with gluten-free cooking.  Making a gluten-free menu was a fun challenge and the food turned out pretty tasty, too.
6. We started a new unit in Kindergarten this week.  Our new story is called The Elder Brother.  It is an extended riddle about autumn leaves.  I think it is a charming story and enjoyed telling it this week.
7. Our family home evening on Monday night was also a highlight of my week.  Scott taught a lesson on temperature regulation.  I asked him to teach the boys how to use the faucets in the tub.  The lesson was very practical and the boys were very excited about it.  I like to watch Scott teach.  He is very good at it and the boys just light up under his attention.
8. Also on Monday night, I got to talk to Monique on the phone.  We had a very faith-building conversation that I have been thinking about all week.  She taught me something about the importance of the temple sealing that I had never thought of before.
9. On Tuesday, I took the boys and the Duedes to the children's museum.  I think that was the highlight of their visit for me.  I really liked sitting with Audrey in the toddlers' play area, watching Sven crawl around on the mat and just talking.  It was very relaxing.  (Thanks to Rich taking Soren and Carl to another part of the museum.)
10. My friend Megan Hutchins is very pregnant.  This week we had a blessingway for her.  A blessingway is an alternate to a baby shower; it's less about purchasing baby gifts and more about nurturing the expecting mother.  Since my friend is having her third baby and preparing for a natural birth, I thought it would be fun.  And she was very enthusiastic about the idea.  However, neither I nor anyone who was coming had ever been to a blessingway before.  I was afraid that it would be too new-age-y for our little group of friends and that no one would be able to relax.  However, it was a huge success!  One of the girls told me it was "the best baby shower" she had ever been to!  It was really relaxing and I could tell that Megan felt supported and very special.  I never knew that throwing a successful party could be so exhilarating!
11. I enjoyed watching Carl play with Poppy all week long.  Every chance he got, he would drag Rich into his room and they would dump all the legos on the floor.  My kids are lucky to have grandfathers who love to play with them.
12. On Thursday, I drove down to Provo for Sally's harp lesson.  Scott was home with his parents so I left all the kids and drove by myself.  It was nice to have time to think and listen to music.
13. Also on Thursday, Scott went to the DMV and got a motorcycle permit!  We are officially a 2-vehicle family!  (At least until it starts to snow ...)
14. I roasted a perfect spaghetti squash this week.  Thank you veggieventure.com!
15. Sven slept through the night again on Wednesday and Thursday nights.  I love uninterrupted nights of sleep!  They seem to be coming for frequently now, which is awesome.
16. Today, Carl was playing with kapla blocks and he told me that he was pretending to be a jotun mason.  He said that he was building a wall around Asgard.  My kids are so cool.

Comments

Oozaroo said…
It was a really nice visit - we enjoyed ourselves, and the food was good!

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