Flower Power

I've wanted to go to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival ever since I heard about it our first year here. There is only a small window of opportunity to see the flowers in full bloom, and we missed it the past two years. This year I was determined to make it!

We initially booked a hotel room for Mother's Day weekend. We thought it would be fun to make it a mini-vacation, and our kids always love swimming in the hotel pool. However, we soon realized the flowers would already be past their prime by then. We couldn't go the weekend before because I was going to be in Utah for Women's Conference (my Mother's Day present to myself, thank you very much). So, our only remaining option was to take a Sunday afternoon drive and go up after church on April 26.

It sounded reasonble enough--pack a picnic lunch and head up after Gavin was done with his church responsibilities. He helps out with the finances in our church, and it usually doesn't take too long. I had all the kids' favorite drinks and snacks, plus a change of clothes for me, Aubrey, and Gavin. I figured the boys could stay in their khakis and be just fine.

Well, true to Arnett family fashion, all did not go as planned. Gavin's responsibilites kept him longer than usual, so the kids and I decided to eat in the car while we waited. As I was preparing their sandwiches and trying to keep everyone happy, Aubrey and Lincoln got into a squabble which resulted in one of them slapping the other. I promptly marched the 'slapper' into Gavin's office while the 'slappee' stayed in the car with me. When we were finally on the road, we hit horrific traffic (of course) and cute Jace threw up on himself. Remember? Smart, smart me didn't pack a change of clothes for the boys.

We finally made it to Tulip Town, and luckily I had a baby shower gift for a friend in the car. Jace (who will be 2 in June) got to wear the baby's 12-month sized romper tucked into his khakis (don't worry, Rainey, I bought you a new one), and off we went.

What is about these goofy face contraptions that no kid can resist?

One of my favorite pictures . . . although it is hard to choose. It was really so beautiful!

Lincoln's favorite flowers were the yellow ones. I guess it fits his mellow personality.

Can you tell the romper is a little small on him? Poor guy . . . he didn't care though. He could have run on this dirt trail naked and still had a blast!

He'd for sure rather be running than stuck with me in the flower field. He didn't like the flowers much at all.

Sure, they look cute in this pic. Don't be fooled--I think half of Tulip Town heard me hollering at them to behave and quit fighting.

My cute little Washingtonians aren't used to the sunshine--they had a hard time looking at the camera.

It really was beautiful and well worth the drama involved in getting us there. Next year, however, I think I'll revisit the hotel idea.

Busted!!!

Aubrey typically takes the bus home from school, but today we walked. There was a Volunteer Appreciation gig at the end of the school day with cookies and such, and I went to it with the boys. I forgot about it last year which turned out to be a BIG mistake since "all the other mommies were there!" Of course. No mistakes for me this time. 

It was a gorgeous day, and I had the double jogger stroller. I don't think we were even off school grounds when Aubrey says to me, "Mommy, I went to the principal's office today." 

Me: Uh-oh. What for?

A: For passing notes. Isn't that the dumbest thing to go to the principal about?

Me: Well, what did the principal say?

A: He said he can sit next to someone all day long and not pass a note. 

Me: So why did you do it?

A: It was Mia's idea. She said she would get up to get a drink of water and I could get up to blow my nose. And she wrote the note, then we both went to see the principal.

If I thought it was funny the first time, I really had to stifle my giggles as she later recounted the story to Gavin. He was laughing too.

Sorry, darlin', I don't even know what to say. I don't think I started passing notes in school until junior high. And I for sure didn't know about the get-out-of-your-seat trick until my late elementary years. 

Later she told me about another friend in her class--Gino--and how she speaks Spanish to him. "Pav lav bav kav por favor." (She had a great accent, I can give her that much.)

Uh-huh. Poor little Gino doesn't speak a word of English, and now has my note-passing, principal-seeing, genius bilingual child as his lunch buddy. 

I hope the principal speaks Spanish better than Aubrey does--he just might need it when he gets a visit from Aubrey and Gino one of these days. 

Hannah Montana

When we realized the Hannah Montana movie was coming out while we were in Utah, we knew it was meant to be. Aubrey and her cousins Lindsay and Kara were sooo excited to see the movie, and even more excited to sit on the very front row all by themselves. Lincoln, of course, was a little more subdued and sat further back with me and Shauna.

Aubrey is shaking her groove thing as the credits roll . . . 

It was actually a pretty good movie, but my favorite part was hearing all the little girls sing along and watching our girls rock out down in front. 

Here are the little snuggle bugs all tuckered out after a busy and fun day--egg hunt, swimming, and the movie. And yes, they are all squished in the top twin bunk. Never mind that there is a full size bed below them, AND before zonking out they were fighting and crying and threatening NOT to sleep next to one another. Apparently they worked it out. 

Nighty night.

The Duck Drop

(Click on the pic to see what pandemonium is really was--so fun!)

After the Easter egg hunt, we went to an awesome indoor swimming pool (why don't these exist in Washington?!) for the annual 'Duck Drop.' Kids were divided by ages, and had to retrieve a rubber duckie with a number on it to claim a prize.

Everyone won something, and cousin Kara was the biggest winner with a FIVE DOLLAR BILL! I think Aubrey and Lincoln each won a goody bag with a pencil, stickers, and a few smarties.

Easter in St. George

I wish my brother Zac lived in my neighborhood. He does such fun things. Every year he and his wife organize an amazing Easter egg hunt. They begin by passing out fliers to neighbors with children. Whoever wants to participate is invited, as long as they deliver 10 filled Easter eggs per child to Zac and Shauna's house by the night before the hunt. Early on Saturday morning, Zac and the other dads hide the eggs by age group. When it's time, many excited kids (and parents) meet in a cul-de-sac for the egg hunt and a potluck breakfast.

Aubrey is helping Jace--for the little ones, the eggs were just thrown out on the grass.

Finding eggs was a little more challenging for Lincoln's age group . . . 

. . . and you really had to hustle to get an egg if you were Aubrey's age! (I love this action shot of her!)

Another highlight of their neighborhood's Easter tradition is the kids' black jelly bean hunt. Zac swirls whip cream in several pie tins with jelly beans, and the kids have to chomp through it to find a black jelly bean. The first one to find it wins a prize. Aubrey and Lindsay had a blast with this one. 

I guess it's just my luck to be visiting from Washington (where it rains frequently) and have it RAIN in St. George (where it hardly ever rains). It didn't make me feel at home, it just made me mad. Oh well. At least the rain held off until after the kids found their eggs, then we ducked for cover in some stranger's garage to finish our breakfast. 

Wicked

The acclaimed Broadway show Wicked was on tour in Salt Lake when I was there. I didn't think there was a chance of catching it, so I jumped on it when my friend Christine posted on facebook that she had extra tickets. Christine and I were friends in high school, then roommates in college. It's always so fun to have a blast from the past.

My mom and I went and had a great time. It worked out great since the kids spent that day with Gavin's mom and some of their Arnett cousins. We strolled through Taipan Trading (Utah's mega home decorating store--I'd never been) and ate at Olive Garden before settling into our seats at Capitol Theatre. After the show, we picked up the kiddos and took off for St. George to spend Easter weekend with my brother Zac and his family.

Thanksgiving Point

Since it was Spring break when we were in Utah, several friends from Washington were also there visiting their families. It was fun to get together with them and visit the Dinosaur Museaum at Thanksgiving Point. The kids loved all the hands-on activities, so I'm sure we'll return. 

Well, maybe Jace didn't love the wet sand.

Lincoln, on the other hand, had fun creating his "Dinosaur Mountain" . . . 

. . . while Aubrey was hard at work on her 'volcano.'

All the kids had a good time 'excavating' and exploring the dinosaur bones.

Fabulous and FORTY!

The kids and I went to Utah for Spring break. It was a great trip! The only thing that would have made it better was if Gavin could have come. As it was, he had a week of night float and couldn't trade out of it. So at least he had restful sleep with an empty house. Gavin and Andy actually share a birthday, and we thought of him as we were celebrating with Andy.

Andy had the best birthday bash! My younger brother set up a group on facebook a couple of months ago and contacted friends we've known for many years. My parents scanned a bazillion pics of Andy which were displayed oh-so-cleverly by my sister-in-law, as well as in a DVD presentation my Dad did.

My sister-in-law is a mini-Martha Stewart and a great hostess! Don't you love this table display?

Many people who have known and loved Andy came, and we were able to hear a lot of stories and memories by those whose lives he has touched. 

My Dad, Andy, and Aubrey during the tributes. So sweet. (He wanted to wear his birthday ribbon and suit to work on his actual birthday, but my mom wouldn't let him. I guess he thought they were his 'birthday threads'.)

50+ people came for Andy's party, but none thrilled him more than his dear friend Jennifer. 

At the end of our Utah trip (fun-filled with more posts and pics yet to come), I asked the kids what their favorite parts were. For me, undoubtedly, my favorite part was being there for Andy's party. I love my big brother. 

Andy with all 13 of his nieces and nephews. I know you can only see 12 faces--so keep looking! (Taking a good picture of a bunch of little kids is like herding chickens.)

Now THAT is a lot of freakin' candles! I love the reflection of the flames in his glasses. (Notice the pics on display in the hallway.)

If you've ever wondered what black frosting looks like when eaten . . . 

A sure sign that it was a GREAT party!

Happy, happy Birthday Andy Bear! We love you more than you can know. Here's to at least another 40 years!

April Fool's!

I love April Fool's Day. I think it's so fun to pull off a good prank. 

I duped both my district leader and my zone leader when I was a missionary. For my district leader, I patched up my eye and my companion and I told him I'd been bitten by a spider. We made up a big ol' elaborate story about swelling and puss and blood and stinging pain. He and his companion both fell for it--hook, line, and sinker. 

Our mission had just switched over how we received money (from cold, hard cash to a type of ATM card) and we didn't have our monthly stipend yet. So when the Elders asked why I hadn't gone to a doctor, my companion and I responded in sing-song, whiney-girl unison, "Non abbiamo dei soldi!!" (We don't have any money.) 

I'd never before nor have I since seen two men pull out their wallets and hand over money so quickly. Bless their hearts. We asked them if they wanted to see my gruesome eye, and of course they did. Removing the patch revealed a little sign which read, "Scherzo d'Aprile!" (The best translation we could come up with for 'April Fool's.)  HA HA HA!

For my zone leader, I called him in the morning and told him my companion was gone. I used a whimpery little voice and carried on and on about her suitcase being gone and I didn't know where she went, how she must have left sometime in the night. When he started to panic and was ready to hang up and call our Mission President, I politely interrupted him and asked what day it was. It took him a little while to catch my drift, then he promptly hung up on me. BWA HA HA!

On another ill-fated April 1st, I soaped up a boyfriend's car windows. It took quite a bit of effort to find his car in all those BYU parking lots, and he was none too happy with me when he was knee-high in suds at the car wash trying to rinse it off. Of course I still thought it was funny. (For the record, dish soap works best--full concentrate.) 

This year, a friend's status update on facebook tipped me off. She said something to the effect of how she was quitting facebook. I fell for it . . . at first. Then I tried to think of something I could do, and voila! An idea was born. 

I changed my status to say, "Sarah Weiland Arnett is preggers," and clicked 'submit.' I initially planned on leaving it for a short time, then telling everyone the truth. In a few short moments, there were many congratulatory comments. It was early in the day, so most people didn't realize yet that it was April 1st.  

My younger brother, however, was one who did. He called me immediately. He didn't want to ruin my joke, but he wanted me to know he wasn't buying it. He also gave me the GENIUS idea to continually delete the naysayers comments and only leave the gullible ones. And he convinced me to leave it up all day long. Tee hee hee. 

By the end of the day, only the comments in red remained.

“Congrats!!!!” DG—8:49 a.m.
“Incintina! Yeah!” JS—8:49 a.m.
"WAHOOOOOO" KT—8:53 a.m.
"No you're not!" KS—8:54 a.m.
"If this is April Fools...nice one! If not, CONGRATS!!" AH—9:02 a.m.
"Congrats!” AY—9:10 a.m.
"Is this a 4/1 joke? I'll kick your butt." KT (again)—9:14 a.m.
"April Fools!!!!!!" SA—9:19 a.m.
"I am with Sheyna...is this an April Fools? I hate April Fools!! If it's real...congrats...otherwise you did catch my eye:)" AN—9:24 a.m.
"Sarah, wasn't it you and Bro. McQuade who tried to fool us in thinking our mission calls had been changed, while in the MTC?! ha, ha. That was a good one." SA (again)—9:25 a.m.
“yah... is this an April Fools Joke? Congrats.. I think?!" LM—9:26 a.m.
"Congratulations! No wonder you had an outburst the other day with the kids!" RP—9:28 a.m.
"April 1st hmmmmmm" DN—9:55 a.m.
"Nope, not falling for it!" KS (again)—9:56 a.m.
"Whaaaat?? This better be a joke because we've done this preggo thing together every time and I'm so not up for it right now. LOL. I'll be watching for the update." AR—10:34 a.m.
"Hmmmmmm??? Yeah, so am I!!!" LL—10:41 a.m.
"YAY!!!!!" KG—11:10 a.m.
"Post a pic of the pos.test....=)" HM—11:18 a.m.
"Congratulations... that is great!" CS—11:41 a.m.
"Congrats Sarah!!!" MH—11:47 a.m.
"Maybe I said Congrats too soon! I didn't read all the comments first." MH (again)—11:49 a.m.
"Hey, I did this one...no fair...LOL" TR—12:15 p.m.
"Auguri!!!" DA—12:32 p.m.
"WhoooHoooooo Sarah. That's so awesome! (singing...) “I'm so excited, I just can't deny it....’ “ BM—12:55 p.m
"Wait a minute... is this an April Fool's joke?" CS (again)—12:58 p.m.
"WOW! That is so exciting?!! (Is that better?) heeeeheeee" LL (again)—1:09 p.m.
"Yay! Congrats! (So glad I'm not as of a week ago!)" JW—1:38 p.m.
"Congrats!! That is really exciting, how far along are you? I hope that it is going well for you." JM—1:59 p.m.
"This is SO an April fool's joke--you totally stole my idea!! Buon pesce d'aprile, furbettina Sarah! :)" JT—5:39 p.m.
"AWESOME!! Congratulations! Hope you aren't feeling too sick yet! (How's that?)" LL (third time)—7:01 p.m.
"Congrats Sarah! How many children do you have? Many blessings to you!" HH—7:18 p.m.

One very offended friend called, and it took me a second or two to realize what I'd done. When I told her it was a joke, she was no longer mad--thank goodness. 

My sister-in-law also called for clarification, though she admitted that she too had been upset. When she was complaining to a friend of hers that we hadn't told her first, her friend reminded her that it was, in fact, April Fool's Day. My sister-in-law quickly referred to my then 10-long list of congratulations, and said, "These people all believe her, so it must be true!" BWA HA HA!

When Aubrey came home from school, the first thing she said to me was, "Mom, you're not PREGGERS!" What?!? Do they have facebook in elementary school? As it turned out, she had seen a friend of mine at the school who asked her if her mom was really pregnant. Duped AGAIN!

Maybe next year I really will be pregnant on April Fool's day and I can pull the same prank, only it will be legit! Do you think I can pull it off?

(By the way, my favorite comment was the one about 'no wonder I had an outburst' with the kids . . . oops, no pregnancy to blame for being a mean mom! HA!)

What jokes are your favorite for April Fool's?