Sunday, April 24, 2022

      At the end of March, I got to go on a field trip with Xadia.  We went to the movie theater and watched a movie on space.  It was fun and interesting.  I think Xadia’s favorite part was playing the game “Heads Up” with her classmates.  This is a game that is like charades where the group has to describe a word and then one person holding the phone tries to guess the word.

    We like to help Tim with his projects.  At Tim’s work, there are 2 trash bins, one for trash and the other for metal.  We helped time make signs to differentiate between the two.  Tim found the pictures and projected them on the signs, then Teagan painted them.  Later that day, we go to hang them on the trash bins.

      Elder Clark Johnson (my nephew, son of Mimi and Matt Johnson) is serving his mission at “This is the Place Monument.”  We decided to take a day trip there during spring break.  It was so fun to learn about pioneer life and to see the displays.  Clark works with the animals.  Unfortunately, we went on a day he was not there (just my luck).  But we did not let that stop us.  We got to pull handcarts, pan for gold, and pet the animals.  We also got some ice cream and homemade donuts.  It was so much fun.

      Spring is here and Lagoon is open.  Teagan and Xadia each got a season pass.  Here is a picture of their first day with their passes with Canda Squire and Kade McPheter.  They were way excited and had a great time.  I cannot believe how big my babies are getting.  It makes me happy and sad.  I am very pleased though with the kids they are becoming.

      One of my favorite things to do is try new recipes.  I found a chocolate cake filled cheesecake recipe.  It was so good.  In the middle of chocolate cake, there is a layer of cheesecake surrounded by chocolate cream cheese frosting. The cake is then covered with a marbled cream cheese frosting.  The dessert is delicious.  I have made it 3 times so far.

     Jacinda is doing amazing things at school.  She is the stage manager for “Guys and Dolls.”  We like to help her any way possible.  I usually work on the costumes and the kids make sure the cast has water and capri-suns to drink.  When I was returning a costume to one of the cast members, Jacinda was in the studio prepping the cast for the show.  They surrounded her in a circle as she gave directions.  It was amazing to see her so assertive in her element.

     Each month, Tim and I take a child out to dinner.  This is our time to share with them.  This month we took Xadia.  She wanted to eat at Ichiban sushi house.  It was really good.  Xadia likes the spicy California roll and strawberry mochi.  She also tried a banana and strawberry roll which was quite tasty.  I ordered chicken and cashews with rice.  Tim got the Vegas roll.   It was nice to visit with Xadia.  She likes to talk about Lagoon, volleyball, her friends, Shein, and school.  I really look forward to our children’s dinner.

     Easter was fun this year.  I made the Easter baskets out of candy boxes.  There was supposed to be a licorice rope handle but I couldn't not find licorice rope anywhere.  So the baskets did not get a handle.  We went to Nana Hefner-Hansen’s house for dinner and an Easter egg hunt.  Roxanne’s and Mimi’s families also had dinner at Nana’s house.  We lined the cousins up tallest to smallest in front of her garage.  It was so fun to see how big everyone is getting. 

The backyard is slowing coming along.  The first of 3 walls is up and the pool was put into the ground this past week.  It has been a muddy mess since it has rained the past 2 days.  I cannot keep the wood floors clean.  Fozzie is the worst offender because he gets his muddy paw prints all over.  I have to keep his tied up more than usual.

     I got to go on another field trip with Xadia.  This time is was to the Clark Planetarium.  It was so fascinating to learn about space and planets.  However, I did not like the dome theater.  I got too dizzy laying there looking at the screen.  I had to close my eyes and just listen.  That was the only way to survive that moment.  The IMAX movie was fun because we got to eat our lunch while watching a 3-D movie about weather.  I was really glad I got to go with Xadia and her friends.

     Jacinda and Seth went to prom.  They looked so good.  We made Jacinda’s prom outfit.  It consisted of a corset and a beautiful blue skirt.  She then wore a mesh shirt under the corset.  They had a great time.  They went to Kate Squire’s house for dinner which consisted of dinosaur chicken nuggets and gourmet macaroni and cheese.  Then they went to the park and took pictures.  After that, it was ice cream and then off to the dance.  When the dance was over, Jacinda just came home.  She had a horrible headache.  I am thinking the headache resulted from the past two days of theater competition and exhaustion.  Hopefully she got some good rest today and will be ready to face the week.

     Fun fact…..I have always wanted to try out for a musical.  As a young woman, I had the privilege to babysit Dorothy Arnold.  Dorothy had a magnificent voice.  She would be in musical productions, and I always got to watch the productions.  This is where my love for musicals began.  I would always find myself singing the songs.  However, I did not have a good voice.  So in my 30’s I took some voice lessons.  A few weeks ago, I performed in sacrament meeting and loved it.  Now that my kids are older, I have the time to try out for a musical.  I am very excited and a little nervous.  I have to make a resume and submit a headshot.  So this Saturday I have an audition time for Joseph and the Technicolor dream coat.  Wish me luck!