Michelle's Birthday Outing

Last Friday (March 14th) was Michelle's 43rd birthday! Delightfully it fell on a Friday so no adjustments to our schedules were needed (except that Marc was on afternoon duty with Eva).

Our self-portrait for the day.

We had a very tasty lunch at Five Guys, it was fantastic.

We went to the $1.50 theater because it had better movies than the new release theaters. Michelle hadn't seen The Book Thief yet, so that was our first choice. We were loved it and were weepy messes at the end of it...it took us a little while to recover.

Next stop was to get drinks at Sodalicious.

Then we went to Cherry Lane to shop for a bit. It was a gorgeous day and the view from the front of the store was beautiful.

I really love this line of products. 

This is our funny selfie taken in a mirror in the store. I was trying to hurry (I'm always afraid I'm going to get in trouble for taking pictures in stores for some reason) but think it turned out pretty funny. I put it on Instagram and Michelle said she thinks she looks like she has Special Needs, this cracked me up and made me like the picture even more (because of course she doesn't).

This sign was hanging the store.

Michelle bought a couple necklaces and a birthday gift for her mom.

I was so pleased with how my gifts for Michelle turned out this year. 

I gave her a collection of Washi Tape I'd been purchasing from a couple Etsy shops and Pick Your Plum, a pedicure gift certificate, and a silly ring.

I got us each one of these rings because I couldn't resist it. I have mine sitting on a jewelry try in my bedroom and it makes me happy whenever I see it.

12 on the 12th--March Edition

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1. I record The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon every night and then watch the first 25 minutes in the morning while I eat breakfast, which means I start my day laughing.
2. We read scriptures as family, but couldn't get a decent photo of it happening.
3. Car lunch reading time, glorious but those 30 minutes go way too fast.
4. My Girl Scout Cookie delivery from one of the students.
5. Our Crocus are in bloom.
6. The Great Landini emptying his backpack.
7. Whitney on the phone about a babysitting job...she hasn't caught the vision yet.
8. Glorious weather!
9. I went outside to read for a bit but I was over zealous because the breeze made it a tad chilly.
10. Landon cacked out on the couch.
11. I went to our Relief Society Birthday dinner (it fell on the 12th last year too).
12. Randy and I watched Survivor.

Another Milestone

The kids didn't have school yesterday (and I didn't have to work) so Landon and I finally made it to the DMV so he could get his Learner's Permit!

He's been taking practice tests online as his form of studying, but right before we left I found these flashcards online so he was able to study in the car on the way there.

They took his picture before processing any paperwork of having him take the test.

It was crazy busy there at 10:41 on a Monday morning, but they have a fine tuned system so we just soaked it all up. There was a broad cross section of people there including a Yoko Ono look-alike in a hat and glasses. 

We tried to figure out their system, but my theory is that they don't go in a numerical order so as not to freak people out when their ticket's number is 629! 

Our turn arrived and meant we got to stand there and watch the guy process our paperwork for what seemed like a long time, and then Landon got to take his eye test.

The moment of truth...the test! He got 90%.

Victory!

This means we need to teach him how to drive! He's only had one short tutorial in the church parking lot so he has a lot to learn. He'll be taking Driver's Ed in June, but he needs to practice before then. Good times.

Gathering

We all gathered for Ashley's baptism last Saturday. She is the youngest kid in our family so she's the last one getting baptized for a long time, wow!

I'm always happy to see Andrew, so I started snapping photos as soon as I found him in the hall.

My mom and Ashley were cute together and my mom started crying when she said, "she's our last one to get baptized".

A selfie of Landon and I afterward.

I love candid shots like this!

We all went over to Robyn's house for lunch.

Ashley was thrilled to be the birthday/baptism girl and happily wore two crowns.

I love this picture I got of Randy, Landon and Austin posing for a picture Amy was taking.

Whitney had been standing behind me so I held up my camera to take a picture and this is what I got.

Adam had us laughing (as usual) with his impression of a super tall guy he knows who looks like this on Sundays.

So funny.

Andrew kept tapping his leg so Rex would jump up on him, but then acted like he was trying to get away from him. It was a funny interaction.

Creative Friday--Texas Visitor Edition

Our beautiful blogging friend Rebekah was in town from Texas and was available to join us for Creative Friday for the 2nd time! We were so excited our schedules jived!

It was Cafe Rio tostadas all around, but Rebekah opted for ice water instead of a drink drink.

I've actually been stamping a little bit lately since I realized I was out of birthday and wedding cards, what the?

Rebekah asked Michelle to help her knit something more than a square or rectangle.

My mom tried to teach me to knit a long time ago, but I'm far too impatient for that and watching Michelle and Rebekah try to figure things out confirmed my feelings.

Sunday Thoughts

Just in case you were wondering, I LOVE primary.

I conducted today (which I don't usually do because I'm the secretary, but the Primary President was out of town so I filled in for her) and it didn't take long for me to be in tears. In Junior primary (ages 3-7) I became a weepy mess in just minutes as a 4 year old stood with his mouth against the microphone and gave a talk as his dad whispered words of truth into his ear. It was painfully cute, but what did me in was the presence of the Spirit as he spoke. I think the kids all felt it too because the room was remarkably peaceful for our large junior primary. It was also cool to watch the boy's mom stand in the back watching her husband and son together like that, I know she felt great too.

Then in Senior Primary (ages 8-12) I lost it again after an 11 year old boy gave his last talk in primary since he will be turning 12 and moving on to Young Men soon. I have seen him grow up and I remember his older brother (who is now 17) whispering in his ear years ago to help him give a talk. Now the older brother is getting ready to go on a mission and this boy is now a confident 11 year old who did a fantastic job by himself and closed with his testimony. I had to pull myself together after the combination of this memory and his talk.

The gospel is remarkable, and primary is the place where the kids learn it in its purest form. I love the lessons we learn as we sing and I often look around the room and see the adults actively engaged and learning right along with the kids...we're never too old to be in primary!