Filling out our brackets is a newer sort of tradition for us as a family (about 4 years), though Randy has been doing it for years. Cayden dutifully checks online to see the latest stats, we're more into our brackets than the actual games.

In the beginning, I was on fire, now it is like I missed all my free throws, I am a dismal 56 points, I picked Connecticut and Duke in the final with Conn. taking it.

Makayla got benched when Louisville went out - her final pick was Louisville as the 2009 champs.

Randy fouled out on Pittsburgh - he ends with 86 points...his final pick, North Carolina and Louisville.

Freshman player Cayleb unfortunately followed the senior's lead...he's still hoping for a win with North Carolina despite Louisville's fall.

Madalyn has kept the competitive bench warm between her and Cayden, until the last round - Louisville called her out of the top spot too...final pick to was between Louisville and North Carolina, she's hoping for a consolation prize if North Carolina goes big.

Maybe Cayden had a slight edge, just finishing up playing his own basketball season - he's 90 points, will take the bracket challenge no matter who wins but will get bonus points if Conneticut beats out North Carolina.

Winner gets major bragging rights, "I told you so" status and an all expense paid for dinner date anywhere they want.

There here!

Gold and Green Dance-

Joseph Smith Papers

Last week for our date night, Randy and I had the opportunity to hear from, Steven Harper, who is a lead editor on the Jospeh Smith papers. It was fascinating to find out how this project came about. In essence, all the information about Joseph Smith from court documents, newspapers, journals, members and critics of the Church is being organized and published. Harper noted one scholar said he wouldn't forgive Jospeh Smith for having a doctor as a scribe on some of his paperwork because it is soo hard to read.
He quoted Marlin K. Jensen, church historian, saying this is the most significant historical work in our lifetime to take place. There are over 100 people working on this project to make sure it is as complete and correct as possible. I look forward to learning more. To find out more, go to http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/.

As a side note, Randy and I had our general authority interview with Marlin K. Jensen. The comment that stood out most from our interview was, "be real.....the church needs more members who are real." I try to be genuine. Though I admit, that at times I am jealous or judge, or I don't wholeheartedly mean it when is say, "let me know if you need anything" and yes, I even think some babies are ugly though I totally love babies but it is good their momma's love them too! How is that for genuine.

Some of Our Week

Sister Eria and Sister Bush-
Sister Bush was here visiting on splits and stopped over to say, "hi". She has been out for almost 6 months and we were in her 1st area. They are working so hard to let people know the joy the gospel brings to lives. We love their visits! We also found out that Lindsay and Sylvia Thomas will be the new mission president in North Carolina. We have always been so impressed with them. What an awesome couple! Plus she makes amazing mints - I guess it is all "mint" to be.

We enjoyed, or at least I enjoyed what I was there for, the Husband and Wife Conference. I stayed home one day because of sick kids. Anyhow, it consists of speakers, activities, time to spend with some of area faculty, and some dining. Here we are at Pier 66 in Seattle.

After talking to some of the faculty in Alaska, I think I could spend a couple of years up there. Hiking as a family we would most likely be safe from bear attacks because so far no group larger than 7 has ever been attacked and they said when you blow bubbles, they freeze mid-air and then crumble in your hand, plus church is only cancelled if it is around 50 below.

Though Anthony's Restaurant has some pretty good seafood, Makenzy wasn't sold on the shrimp or the lemons!

We kept running into this family at the museum. Makenzy and her became "friends" and gave each other hugs and kisses when she had to go.

Cayden following his choir performance-

Even though he won't admit it, he is a good singer like his dad. The other week, we watched "On a Wing and a Prayer", a documentary about the air battalion that was shot up over Poland during WWII, so the kids could hear some of their Grandma White's and Randy's singing. His family sang the title song for the documentary.

Die hard basketball fans Cayleb, Hayden, Madalyn, Kaylie, and Cowan

This week Cayden finished up basketball. Unfortunately, Cayden was feeling sick for his last game. We haven't been sick at our house all year, until now. He did o.k. but you could tell he was tired. It was sort of like the championship game. Technically, score hasn't been kept until the last 2 games where they had referees. However, all season they have been undefeated. In a clincher at the end, the other team just pulled ahead and beat them. Randy told him it is good for him to experience losing, because when you sign up to play ball, you won't win every game and you just need to learn how to move on from the defeats to the next ball game.

Let me add, that 2 days ago, Randy played ball, and they won, but he was a bit bummed because his game was off. In fact, so much he said it was his worst game in years. What I saw in the last 20 minutes was some great "d" and a nice 3 pointer from the side, but when he missed his free throw I knew his game was off.

He was so excited to play because he usually teaches class during the week games. When Jason calls to remind him about the games, it is like they are little kids inviting each other out to play. It is great. I wish he had more time to play with his little basketball buddies. He sure misses his Tues./Thurs. ball time he used to have for years with Greg and the gang.

- Cayden and his coaches. He has the same coaches for 2 years now and pretty much the same team, though most of his team attends the another elementary.

Luck of the Irish

Top of the Mornin' to You! Cayleb busy making the traditional green milk for our Lucky Charms cereal.

So many things make time go by quickly, but one way time is marked for me is by the holidays. My mom always made, and still usually does, make holidays, birthdays, special. I have a little of that in me, not much, but I've never boasted I am the "hostess with the mostest".

Madalyn took her lunch to school in a Pot of Gold. It must have been an extra special pot because the class leprechaun used it later to leave gold chocolate coins for the class, he even left her a note to say thanks.

Ingredients needed for a rainbow - rain and sun. We get rain, just not so much sun. So Cayleb and I caught some "rainbows" and put them inside our boxes (recovered matchboxes).

The kids were anxious to see what naughty little things the leprechauns would do this year since last year they were extra naughty and even blocked the kids entrance into their rooms with their mattresses.

Thankfully, this year I had the luck of the Irish on my side since they only stole some of our green mini-cupcakes, left a crumbled mess in the hall, hid the truck keys just as we needed to leave for school (Cayleb, way to find them in a hurry), and opened up all the dwarers and dumped out clothes.

Kiss Me I'm Irish or Kiss the Cook, either way I was pleased with a new way I cooked our cabbage and corned beef.

The smell of boiled cabbage is yuck, plus you lose a lot of the vitamin C. So this year I set out to figure out a better way to cook it. Love, the internet. Found a suggestion to cut cabbage into quarters, remove center, run under cold water, don't shake too hard, wrap tightly in foil and bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 1 hour. It was so easy, no smell and turned out moist and green. To make it even better, add a strip of bacon. I didn't have any, but will have to try that next time.

As far as the corned beef, I added 8 beef bouillon cubes into my crock pot and cooked the corned beef longer, and it turned out fantastic. The kids liked it much better this way and had some, but still opted to have more of the other green food.

Our Pretty Kid Friendly, Easy in the Kitchen Green Menu-

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Green Spinach Wraps filled with chicken and green veggies

Green Grapes

Potatoes with parsley

Green veggie tray- cucumbers, celery, sliced green peppers,

Dyed green drink

Chocolate Chip Mint ice-cream and green mini-cupcakes with hidden coins inside (Madalyn was the lucky one to find the treasure)

Gold and Green Ball

The Gold and Green Ball is the Institute's version of Prom.

The girls nabbed Randy as their date since I am the momma hen that can't leave her baby chicken, Makenzy, quite yet, but I am almost getting there.

They spent the night dancing!

-and eating!

-chocolate dipped strawberries, daiquiris (25 to choose from), cheeses and crackers, dips, dipping all sorts of cut up fruits in the chocolate fountain

-and dancing!

-and shielding one student who was being stalked by "some guy she didn't want to be with"

- side note, but I totally understand! My, save me, wish I could hide, run date was with Chuck the Cowboy shirt unbuttoned into a deep "V" that revealed a lot to laugh about, spent half the night telling me how to mix drinks to get drunk, no headlights on car so we improvised with flashlights out the sidewindows, I prayed to get pulled over, threatened a guy at the planetarium with his pocket knife for stepping on our toes, and finally slipped in cowboy boots while playing basketball- pathetic!

Can I just say, Randy has never, ever, ever played basketball in cowboy boots, THANK YOU!

Anyhow, they had a lot of fun and didn't make it home until late, I know, I waited up for them. Practicing for later-

Daddy and his darling dates-They got pictures at the dance, so when I get them, I'll post it.

Getting ready to go-

The dip -

Grandma White's Pancakes

My mother-in-law was an excellent cook.

In fact, she used to own a catering business and a restaurant aptly and artistically named Century Pine for the 100 year old pine tree on the grounds.

The kitchen and I are slowly becoming friends. But when it comes to pancakes, that's a boy job at our house. Randy taught Cayden to be a man and so he started cooking up pancakes when he was 6 years old, he's practically a veteran now.

One of my bridal shower gifts from Bon was some of her recipes. March 8th marked 7 years since her passing, so Randy wanted some comfort food.

This is Bon's recipe for whole, wheat german pancakes and marked kind of .k. for Randy's running diet.

Whole Wheat German Pancakes
1 1/4 cupswhole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
3 T. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
2 egss well beaten
1 1/4 cup milk
3 T. real butter

Stir together all dry items. Beat eggs, add milk and softened butter. Combine alll ingredients. Cook on hot griddle. Makes about 15 pancakes.


These come out thin but are yummy and pretty healthy, depending on what you drench them in. The kids and I did powdered sugar, blueberries and butter syrup. Obviously, I am not as diligent in my running diet as Randy is!

Madalyn making the accompanying eggs; never to early to have the kids learn to help out! "More cheese, please!" Randy passes on our cheesy eggs right now and opts for just egg whites, after April he'll join us again in some of our indulgent eating habits.

Making of a Legend

Inspired by her brother's love of Star Wars, Madalyn wanted Princess Leigh's buns. However, as I got started doing them, her hair was sticking out and it didn't really look that crazy, more messy.

As I was messing around trying to fix it, her buns were emerging into nests, and as we all know great ideas are born from mess ups and mishaps -

white out, sticky notes and my favorite ice cream cones and popsicles

About 5 minutes later we ended up with our original "Tweet" hairdo-


I thought it was cute and Madalyn was pleased and went off to school as happy as a singing canary! To re-create our hairstyle, pull hair up into two ponytails, braid hair and loosely wind and bobby pin in place into two buns. Simply add a few twigs, spanish moss, and egg (ours is styrofoam from an Easter decoration with a bobby pin jammed up the center and bent to hold it in place), place small stuffed bird on other bun, add leaves (torn from display in the house), use lots and lots of bobby pins and wah-la- a pretty "tweet" and easy crazy hair do!

I can't tell you how many Lego pieces I have stepped on, straddled over and scooped up the last few months other than it is enough to now have "clean up lego's in playroom" as its own job on our job wheel.

The boys have really been in lego's the last several months, especially lego Star Wars. As such, we definitely couldn't pass up the opportunity to help construct an 8 ft. tall R2D2 all out of lego bricks.

Cayden, Cayleb and Madalyn turning in their blue bricks to the Lego Master Builder-

building time-

Masters are masterful at what they do; come on jedi masters and light sabers, lego masters and a bazillion legos - cool!

Anyhow, it is about a 3 day event, they travel all over the U.S., this R2D2 has been built 8 times already this year.

Does this find a home at Legoland? Nope! Once it is completely built, it is on display for 1 hour and then demo time, back in the boxes and off to another site to be built yet again.

If you have a Lego Store near you, I'd mark a Master Builder event as a "to do" with your kids at least once, it's free and fun!

Overview of the upper view-

A little shopping afterward at Bellevue Square (we like this mall alot!), Cayleb, Madalyn, Makayla, Natalie and Cayden-

Celebration of Learning

Randy often asks the kids, "what do I always want you to remember?" The kids blurt back, "that you love us." In the mornings when I drop them off at school and they are hurrying to hop out of the truck before the traffic school aide waves me on (think of Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom), I call out, "remember who you are and love learning." As such, I love that their school dedicates a night to literally celebrate learning. It is a little mix of back to school night/overview of class projects/fundraiser type of event (they do a spaghetti feed and basket raffles).

We still didn't win...maybe next year...I am so hoping we get the Webkinz Basket, because I totally need more overpriced stuffed animals at home...Cayden's class put together Snuggle Up and Read Basket and Madalyn's a Jonas Brother's Basket...Cayden told me if he won the gift certificate basket he'd give it to me...way to be buddy! Ms. Lagerquist, Madalyn and student teacher Ms. Rasmussen from Pacific University.

Madalyn and I under the Great Kapok Tree. All the 2nd grade is learning about South America. Madalyn brought in our real alligator head from Grandma Gorter for display.

Cayden's report on Black Panthers-

As we entered the school foyer, Cayden's report was front and center. His teacher told me, the kids had set up their reports earlier but then she rearranged them so the best one's were out front, and I want to take and brag and gag moment, Cayden's report was the first one. I was really proud of him. In years past, this has been a take home project, with the parents doing a lot of the work. However, this year his teacher Mrs. Hanson wanted the kids to do it all at school. So I literally didn't see it until we came into school...

the mounted report

the accent leaves

the pictures

the nice straight lines

the awesome information

I learned black panthers, black leopards and black jaguars are the same animal, they have different names depending on where they live and yes, they have spots!

let's have a snowball fight

My beautfiul friend from Japan, Ms. Maple. I check in on her often from my kitchen window for the latest weather report as I do dishes, unload dishes, do more dishes, unload dishes....you get the idea.There was a burst of snow this morning, enough to cover the road and leave the kids hoping school would be cancelled. School up here gets cancelled on a whim - they've missed almost 2 weeks of school because of "dangerous driving conditions"... the inch or less of snow on the road...the school year is now extended to almost the end of June! Living here, we've never been woken up by a snowplow grumbling and scraping the asphalt because they just don't plough side streets...they barely even get to major, main roads, using sand instead of salt to keep the Puget Sound and the whales and the fish and the tree huggers that don't drink bottled waters free from pollutants.

Coming home from running errands today, it hit me, literally, sun melted snow dropping off the towering trees and splattering on my windshield, enough so I had to keep flicking on my windshield wipers. It made me think, it was like Mother Nature surprising me with a snowball coming out of nowhere. And duh! because there are so many more trees here, Mother Nature just keeps up popping up all over the roadways.

Read Across America Day

If you don't have kids, then you may not know that today was Read Across America, a day to celebrate Dr. Seuss' Birthday - Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and all of that. What is more fun than the classic pairing of pajama day with a read-in. Madalyn just purchased a new Webkinz (again for those not operating in the world of small kiddos and tweens, this is basically a stuffed animal that has a code that allows you to have virtual play on-line,). As such, she wanted to wear her duckie slippers which are the closest thing she has to her birdie Webkinz.
This is an unofficial, unsubstantiated opinion, but I think middle children are excellent readers. Madalyn is an excellent reader. She has the natural desire to read and loves it. One of her New Year's resolutions was to read a chapter book a month; she has well surpassed that goal.

Of course, I am a middle child, and though my reading skills are a little numb as of late, I still do o.k. The last book I read was Admissions, a novel about the crazy admission process of New York private schools. I won't complain again about another book fair or having to send in shoe boxes and tissues. These parents pay around $32,000 a year for elementary school education, plus are expected to kick in a little more for the fundraisers. Out of curiosity, I looked up a few websites just to see how closely the fictional book was to the non-fiction of life and yup it was pretty close. One caveat though, I noticed that for my "free" public education, Makayla has read, or I have in our personal library most of the required summer reading for 6th graders as required by the pricey institutions.

Cayleb and I read a few new books today, too. These come from our Grandma B. 2nd grade library, that we love. He was most interested in two that he kept flipping through even after I was done reading. One was, Dinorella by Pameal Duncan Edwards, a great book with a hilarious alliteration of "d's" ; ..."a dastardly deed was taking place! A deinonychus was dragging off the duke. I'm done for, cried the duke. He will devour me. Indeed I will! laughed the deinonychus. I'll be digesting you by daybreak." And another favorite was Bill Grossman's My Little Sister Ate One Hare. "My little sister ate 3 ants. She even ate their underpants. She ate 2 snakes. She ate 1 hare. We thought she'd throw up then and there. But she didn't." Just think of a little boy, who has a little sister and finds potty talk funny as all get out and you get the idea of why he finds this book so funny!

And the latest book I am reading is, The Wall Street Journal's Lifetime Guide to Money. What can I say, the current economic situation has even affected my reading. Maybe everything Wall Street recommends won't be on my main street list of things to do and follow, but it has some good advice. Bummer though, our 6 month savings has whittled down to about 3, and that is if we really like Mac 'n' Cheese.

Open wide, look inside, how many?

Cayleb is the best at brushing his teeth. When I forget, he reminds me. He never complains about the toothpaste. He steps on his stool, and brushes, and spits, sometimes on the side of the sink, but he gets it out, and then brushes some more. Unfortunately, great attitude about brushing doesn't mean a thing. He has another cavity! I am going to push for floridated water.
Madalyn hates brushing her teeth. She routinely ignores me when I remind her. We're toothpaste connoisseurs. We've tried, the gels, the paste, the character toothpaste, the glitter toothpaste, the toothpaste that comes out in the shape of stars all of it - she still complains. In the end, I usually have to watch her to make sure she doesn't rinse off all the paste on her toothbrush and actually brushes more than 5 seconds. She has zero cavities. It is dental injustice.