February

100 days of school!  Brynn made this cereal necklace for the event.  I don't think the older kids did anything, it's mostly something the younger grades do.

I took a Friday afternoon and played dolls with Brynn.  We got the dolls out and had a fashion show and styled their hair.  Brynn was really hoping to have a friend over that day to play but nothing was working out so this was an okay substitute for her.

Stockton really wanted me to put something on the letterboard for the Superbowl.  We looked up famous sports quotes and found this one that he approved of.

We cheered on the Eagles and were happy that the Patriots lost this year.

Ivy's follow-up appointment for her elbow was the first Monday of February at Primary Children's fracture clinic.  She was happy as a clam to be there-they took more x-rays to confirm that it was a fracture (it was) and they put a hard cast on her.  She had the option of many different colors but she wanted blue because Cinderella has a blue dress.  Her mind was not going to be changed so blue it was!

This picture was lost somewhere so I had to screenshot it from my Instagram page

We had some amazing February weather so Ivy and I took advantage of one Friday and met my mom and dad and Ali at the zoo.  All we needed was jackets-Ivy had to wear one of Brynn's since that's all that would fit around her cast.  It was a perfect zoo day, meaning it was not busy at all.  It was also nice to just have the little kids because we could take our time rather than trying to keep up with the big kids (they are fun too, but it was more relaxed with the littles).

Seth and Ivy

Grandpa, Ivy, Grandma

Ivy and Seth

The sea lions and otters were so fun.  The zookeepers were out working with them, feeding them, and training them and since it was not crowded, we could stay and watch for a while.  The polar bear was also very active and we loved watching him swim around while the kids ran inside and out trying to keep track of him.

Seth and Ivy

We made a stop at the park (new to us), rode the carousel and train, double checked that we had seen all the animals and then called it a day.  We found a little place to stop for ice cream before heading our separate ways.

Ivy was scared to walk across this bridge so Seth kindly went and held her hand so she could make it across.

Ali, Lucy, Seth, Ivy, me

Blue and Gold Banquet.  It was a Lego theme so the boys were told they could make something out of legos to display if they wanted.  Stockton made an opening ceremonies display.

We love the Olympics around here.  Stockton really wanted to make a treat while we watched the opening ceremonies so we made rice krispies and he made the Olympic rings out of M&M's on the top.

If you had to ask me my least favorite chore, it would hands-down be mopping the floor.  I have always hated it and it doesn't get done as regularly as it should.  I came up with a genius idea-honestly, I don't know why I haven't thought of this before!  On Saturday mornings, I sweep the floor and move all the chairs then I fill up three buckets with sudsy water and give the kids some rags and they mop the floor for me.  The funny thing is that they actually kind of like it!  So a win-win!

Molly had a circuit project at school where she had to build a structure and then hook-up a circuit so it had lights that went with it.  I was so glad Justin knew what he was doing because I had no clue!  She used her Eiffel Tower that she built last summer with her 3D pen and then painted a Paris sky-scape around it.  Justin helped her with the circuit part of it and it turned out awesome.

Molly had told me that parents could come to her class and see all the projects so I showed up the following day at the time she told me...and no one was there.  The teacher was walking around and looking at the projects and grading them and it felt really awkward.  So I left.  Molly told me that lots of moms and teachers came about 10 minutes later and were able to walk around and see the different projects.  Oops.  This picture was posted on the school's Facebook page.

Molly worked all of January to write a book where all the characters were different cupcakes.  They all had a name, a certain look, and distinct personalities.  She had a fun time doing that and was excited when her teacher was able to get special permission for Molly to bring in homemade cupcakes decorated like the characters in her book.  (Her teacher, I will say, has been so awesome and encouraging of Molly and all her writing.)  It was a busy week but I was able to pick up all the supplies for her and I did bake the cupcakes while she was at school but she did the decorating completely on her own and took the cupcakes to her class for Valentine's Day.  Her teacher is currently working on finding out how she can get Molly's book published.

Daddy Daughter Activity Days!  They played minute-to-win-it type games.  Molly's last one of these but another year and Justin will be taking Brynn.

This was a sweet moment that Justin caught.  We were looking for Ivy so I could put her in bed and we found her snuggling up with Stockton.

Valentine's Day landed on the busiest day of the week for us, a Wednesday.  We literally went from activity to activity so we didn't have a ton of time for celebrations.  I have decided that as far and I'm concerned, I can do without Valentine's Day but that for kids, it is a fun holiday so I try to make it fun and memorable for them as much as I can.  I took Ivy to storytime at the library and we had to stop at the store (these are Wednesday staples) and then we went to the school to help in Stockton's class.  I was assigned a craft and earlier in the week I had found a cute airplane for the kids to make-however, when I tried to make an example the night before it totally did not work.  So I ran to Walmart that day to pick up stuff to make these heart necklaces.  I cut out the hearts and straws while we had a quick lunch and it ended up being perfect for the time I had.  And always fun to see my boy at school!

After school, I taught 3 piano lessons and then it was a rush to Stockton's final basketball game and then Brynn's gymnastics.  Justin had Young Men's so we finally had time to spend together when we all got home from various activities-when the kids would all normally be in bed.  I like to have a fun dinner for Valentine's Day but I knew I would literally have no time to spend making anything.  I thought it would be fun to have a fondue dinner and dessert so I made both the day before.  I learned one lesson-cheese fondue is delicious but you have to eat it right when you prepare it-it didn't warm up very good, meaning the taste was great but it thickened too much to be anything you could dip your food into.  I tried but most of us just ended up eating the various things I had prepared without the fondue dip.  Our chocolate fondue for dessert was great though and we ate that together that night.  We also gave the kids their date tokens and I bought a new blanket for the family to share.

As a recap, here is what each kid did for their dates for last Valentine's.  I'm not sure they all got posted here.  Molly: Jazz game with Dad and to the theater to watch The Greatest Showman with Mom.  Stockton: Lunch date with Dad and a hike to the Y with Mom.  Brynn: Lunch date with Dad and ice skating with Mom.  We haven't started Ivy yet because she gets dates with me all the time, and often with both Justin and I.

This is what I put up on the letterboard for the week of Valentine's Day.  When I first put it up, the kids couldn't believe it-"You don't like our hugs, Mom?" or "I thought you loved my kisses!"-and then I assured them it was just meant to be funny and that I did love their hugs and kisses but I also loved when they helped with the dishes.

Molly had a soccer tournament in St. George over the President's Day weekend.  The games were on Saturday and Monday so we drove down on Friday night.  They decided late that they were going to be going to this tournament so our choice of hotels was very slim unless we wanted to pay triple the normal price. So we ended up at a Motel 6 and it was pretty bad but we tried to limit our time there.

Her first game on Saturday was against a team from Wyoming.  This was their best game and Molly played great.  She had a chance to score but her shot went wide.  They ended up tying the game.

It was such a nice day and we had a couple of hours to kill before her next game.  There was no way we were going to go back to the hotel room so we went to hit a bucket of balls.

Their second game wasn't as good as their first.  Their coach was trying to coach another team as well and he had a scheduling conflict and had asked a parent to fill in.  He had coached the girls before so they were familiar with him, but he switched some positions around and that was confusing for them.  I know Molly was super confused and it was a frustrating game for her-and for us to watch.  But we put it behind us and went to go find some dinner.  We went to Black Bear Diner (like everyone else down there for the tournament) and all the kids really liked that.

We didn't have games on Sunday so we took a little time to get ready in the morning and then we went to walk around the temple.  I had checked the weather forecast and, while very nice, it still didn't forecast to be super warm.  Sunday was definitely a beautiful day and I did get warm in my long-sleeved dress.

We went to church with my Uncle Ray and his wife, Cherie.  They had church at 1 and they assured me that there would be plenty of kids there but our kids were practically the only ones in sacrament meeting that day.  I was so nervous about them being too loud or Ivy throwing a fit that I'm not sure I heard anything the speakers said.  It was a very long hour!  But we made it and Ray and Cherie had us over for hamburgers after.  I had packed a dinner so that we wouldn't have to eat out on Sunday but this was so much better than going back to the hotel and eating there.  Our kids don't know Ray and Cherie very well because they've lived all over the world so it was a nice afternoon visiting with them.  They pulled out some marshmallows and we roasted those but the kids had the most fun getting the roasting sticks as hot as they could in the fire and either dunking it in the water to hear it sizzle or "branding" a marshmallow-something Uncle Ray taught them.  We also played a game of dominoes before leaving.

It was still too early to go back to the hotel for the night so we took the kids to the climbing area where we had been last year over Spring Break.  We didn't stay for too long because it started to get dark on us but it was nice to get all the last of the energy out before going back to the hotel.

They had a shoot-out at 8 a.m. on Monday morning.  It was so cold that it was snowing so Justin took her.  Molly's team lost the shoot-out so they played at noon.  When that game was over we started on what was, possibly, the longest drive ever.  It was bad weather practically the whole drive home so that added on extra hours.  Stockton was sick so that was not fun for him.  But we made it home eventually-definitely a trip that had its ups and downs!

Aspen, Hannah, Kate, Kylie, Allie, Molly, Bridgitte, Regan, Reese, Natalia

Snow days were rare this winter so I was happy that the kids took advantage of them when they came.  Last winter we found an old snowboard on the side of the highway and this year Stockton would come home everyday after school, get his snow gear on, grab that snowboard, and go over to the Anderson's house (they have the better hill out of the two houses) to snowboard with Easton and Corbin.  Sometimes Brynn would join them and Molly did occasionally as well.  They also played with the cross country skis and the snowshoes but the snowboard was the favorite.

Ivy brought down the marble run one day so I set up a little tower for her and that entertained her for a while.  The tongue-out-in-concentration-thing is a Moyes trait!

Molly also got into the building and came up with her own design.  I love it when forgotten toys get pulled out and enjoyed.

Ivy enjoys when I let her bring in her trike so she can ride around and around the kitchen.  We saved the red trike (it still gets used a lot) so Brynn will ride around with her sometimes.  Also, Brynn is wearing Ivy's nightgown.

Ivy had her cast on for three weeks.  She really did so good with it and it limited her very little.  That being said, I was so ready for it to come off-I could bathe her normal, she could wear her long-sleeves, and I wouldn't get bonked in the head so often with that thing!  We went back to Primary Children's where they took yet another x-ray to make sure it healed properly and then a nice nurse took the cast off.  The machine looks intimidating-it is basically a saw-but Ivy didn't bat an eye; she actually giggled while it was coming off!  She wasn't loving life too much after though, her elbow was sore and she looked at us so confused and kept saying, "But my elbow isn't better!  It still hurts!"  Poor girl.  She also did not like all the dead skin on her arm and wouldn't even look at it.  She did not want to take her jacket off and when she did, she closed her eyes or looked the other way so she didn't see how different her arm looked.  She wouldn't let us bathe it but she finally let us put some lotion on it.  She favored it for two or three days and all is back to normal now.

She got two dates with mom and dad on her cast days!

Ivy got out the Mr. Potato Head (the "mashed potatoes" as she calls them) when we got home from the doctor and since it was early-out day, Brynn got to join in the fun with us.

Stockton tried out for baseball back in January and started practicing in February.  Unlike last fall, he has not had any trouble wanting to go to practices.  He loves to go to baseball and is so anxious for the season to start soon.
 
Justin's tellers love Ivy.  We go in on Wednesdays (to get milk because that's when it's on sale) to say hi and get a sucker and they look forward to saying hi to Ivy.  After she broke her elbow, they pooled their money and bought her a gift.