A Sad Time

This is kind of a long story - but I am not really wanting to get into everything right now. An incident occurred with Minnie bolting out the door and we had to take her back. It was totally heart wrenching for all of us. She was gone for almost 3 weeks and we just couldn't leave it like that. We ended up getting her back and committing to obedience training for her since we really had done nothing up to this point and we wanted to give Minnie a fair shake in things.

The training has been awesome for all of us and she is really learning who is boss around here. We are so glad we gave her another chance. We knew she was a good girl! Maybe someday I will put out the whole story...but I don't know. We are just glad to have the little heathen back in our home with us!

Christianna...are you sleeping?

I went in to check on our dear Christianna before I went to bed and saw this:

I was laughing so hard...quietly of course. Didn't want to wake her before I got a picture! She was pretty firm-footed on the floor and still fast asleep. We did eventually move her after the necessary laughing and picture taking. We love the things she does!!

Investigator V. Fairall Reports

This year, Victoria had the opportunity to participate in the school science fair. She only got the notice about it 2 weeks before it had to be done - so that really limited her as to what she could do. We talked about different ideas and most of them involved plants and watering them with different "chemicals." Well - I figured that we would need more time to kill off plants...we talked about forensics. She decided to do a study on fingerprints...her own actually.

So, are your fingerprints the same on your right hand compared to your left? Are fingerprints the same between family members?

That is what Victoria set out to discover. Chris set up an appointment for her to meet with a Crime Lab Technician who specializes in fingerprints on Feb. 8th. Victoria came all ready with a list of questions.

We all learned so much listening to the answers. Koalas have fingerprints too! Did you know?

After she collected her information, she fingerprinted all of us in order to compare. She learned that every fingerprint is different...there may be similar loops and characteristics between family members and between your own hands - but they are all different.

FASCINATING!!!

I will be honest...I helped a little with the poster...she picked out what she wanted on it, typed up the titles she needed & I just helped with aligning everything.

It was exciting to see her explain what she learned to anyone who would ask! My parents were even in town for it and that was awesome for them to see too. (Dad so wanted to try the 2 soda bottle experiment-the one where you fill it half with water and then as you swirl it around it makes a tornado and it empties faster into the second bottle. I was shocked that he didn't know that rick already. Love you Dad!)

Victoria received a 2nd place ribbon too in her category!

WAHOOO VICTORIA!!!

YW New Beginnings

Here are some of our lovely Young Women. It was sad that more couldn't make it. We had a fun safari theme this year and shared with the girls the important ways to prepare themselves to face the challenges in the world and how Personal Progress helps them to prepare for life as well.

I just had to include the cupcakes - all of the leaders got together and spent an afternoon decorating the cute little buggers.

Family Pictures: Complete

Here are some pictures with Minnie - taken before we were taking her back to the rescue.

This one is my favorite of all of us together. I am thinking of getting it larger to put in our family picture frame over our mantle.

A very special THANK YOU goes out to our fantastic dog loving neighbor - Kathy. She came over to take the pictures for us and we really appreciated it!!

Mutual Ice Skating

Tonight we spent my birthday having a blast ice skating with the young men and women. We took everyone up to the University of Utah rink. Some may think I was a little crazy for skating while pregnant - but I love to skate and didn't want to sit this fun activity out! That is one thing about me - just hate to be left out. (Just ask Chris, he'll tell you!)

This here is a picture of some of the leaders.

This is our awesome Bishop! (He didn't skate though...party pooper!)

(Don't let this picture fool you - Liz had a good time and wasn't on her phone all night.)

My girls just LOVE to skate! They were so excited to be able to come with us on this activity. They both have only skated a few times in their lives, but they picked it up so fast.

Once Christianna and I took a couple trips around together, she had enough confidence to just go at it alone!

I think this was taken right after I had fallen on mybackside.

It wasn't my fault - entirely! I was skating in the direction we were supposed to be going and I had my camera out taking some pictures of the youth. Well, these 3 younger kids came from the wrong direction and totally cut me off! I tried to stop, but instead fell. Hey - it was the first and ONLY time I fell too. My little camera totally broke. As I was looking at it, a couple YW came up and told me that that little group of kids went off the ice chatting with themselves and said "You totally made that old lady fall!"

NICE!!! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! Do you think 32 is "old?"

Anyway - they came up and apologized to me later on about the old lady comment. I am still bugged that my camera broke.

Here I am with Liz and Jessica - the most wonderful counselor EVER!!!

I may be explaing to Jazzen that his head gear isn't appropriate and that he should put it back on the ice....

....what do you think?

Looking at these pictures totally made me cackle - LOUDLY.

Chris getting ready for his big move...

...ooops!!!!!

Isn't it great that he can laugh at himself??? (That's why I didn't feel too bad laughing too.)

I just had to include this picture of Christianna's backside. In learning to skate without me, she fell a few times. She just got a little wet :-)

Here are a few of our fearless leaders. Peter, Sylvia and Nelson.

Not sure what really happened here - when I went to investigate, the story sounded a little fishy.

And thus ends another fantastic activity with our youth!

It's My Birthday!!

Being in YW's is FUN! Today I woke up and sent the girls to school and saw this:

Just made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!!

They must have come pretty late last night to get it done too.

I actually asked one of my counselors about it - mainly when they came. She told me that it was pretty late and that they tried to be so careful as to not alert Minnie! I just pictured them creeping up to the house and trying to be so stealthy about it. They did succeed too - didn't hear a sound! Thanks!!!